Road Trip
by Bill K
Summary: Jun decides to take a trip. Hotaru is a little too eager to prove herself fit again.
1. Who Am I?

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 1: "Who Am I?"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

Sailor Moon and all related characters are (c)2018 by Naoko Takeuchi and are used without permission, but with respect. Story is (c)2018 by Bill K.

* * *

As some panicked citizens of Crystal Tokyo ran in fear, and others crowded around at a safe distance to watch, Civilian Defense and Protection observation drones hovered overhead. The machines issued programmed warnings to the citizens as they transmitted video and telemetry to the CDP. It was their job to maintain order, protect the citizens of the city and to inform central headquarters.

In this case, inform them that onis still existed even in the ultra-modern thirtieth century. But there was no need to fear. Sailor Moon and her Senshi were on the scene.

The monster stood twelve feet tall and was a mass of sweaty, hairy muscle and brute force. A tiger skin covered him, as was tradition, and he brandished a massive wooden club. The brute bellowed angrily at the sky and then focused on the Senshi trying to surround him.

"Fauna Combination!" Sailor Vesta called out, as usual not waiting for directions from the others, "Tyrannosaur gorilla!"

Instantly Vesta took on a height that towered over the oni, while her form filled out and morphed into a silverback gorilla. She charged the oni, who tried to swing his club at her to fend her off. Vesta caught the swing with her hand and barreled into the massive mythological creature. At once they began grappling for dominance, strength against strength. The crowd watching began to give them more room.

"Ceres, get your plant men to attack his legs!" Sailor Moon ordered, taking command of the situation. "Between them and Vesta, maybe we can get that thing on his back!"

"Floral Animation!" Ceres cried as she spread a pouch of seeds.

At her command, the seeds began to sprout into vines. The vines began to knit into humanoid forms until there was a squad of twenty plant humanoids. Ceres mentally directed them to attack and they swarmed the legs of the oni. It only seemed to enrage the creature. With a surge of strength, he pushed Vesta the giant gorilla away, then swatted at the plant men with his hand and his club. Vesta sailed over the head of Sailor Pallas and impacted hard with a nearby building. Pallas watched with alarm as Vesta struggled to rise, then turned on the oni with fury.

"Not nice!" she barked. "Fiery Incantation!"

Without warning, the oni's club burst into flame. Startled and fearful of it, the oni tossed it away. It landed near a grassy section of the area and Sailor Juno quickly doused the flame with her water powers.

Using her control over the plant men, Ceres directed them to begin unraveling back into vines. With surprising speed, the vines began snaking up the oni's body, curling around his legs and arms. The monster pulled at the vines, snapping several. But they kept coming, winding and twisting and reinforcing each other until the oni was held rigid.

"I'll get his horns, Sailor Moon!" Sailor Saturn said and sprinted forward.

For a moment, Sailor Moon thought to stop her. Hotaru had only been out of the hospital a few weeks and seemed eager to prove herself again. The smart thing would be for Sailor Moon to pacify the creature if she could, then let Saturn go. But she thought her friend might need this and quashed her rationality - - and her fears.

With nimble grace, Saturn ran up and jumped, using the creature's knees and the vines surrounding them as a jumping point. She reached the apex of her jump, pirouetting as she did so. The glaive in her hand flashed for an instant. She landed with dainty elegance, the two severed horns of the oni bouncing on the pavement on either side of her.

The oni bellowed in pain, howling to the heavens. And then it faded from view, the vines falling limply to the street with nothing left to bind.

"Please go in peace to your rest," Saturn whispered over her shoulder. The watching citizens cheered wildly.

"Well, I guess you're back," Sailor Moon grinned as she approached. Saturn looked down modestly, but couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from turning up. Finally she and Sailor Moon fist-bumped.

"Vesta should let Miss Ami-Ma'am look at her!" they heard Sailor Pallas loudly proclaim and turned to look. Pallas was following Sailor Vesta, who looked a little woozy.

"I'm all right!" barked Vesta. "Stop babying me!"

"Vesta, you look like you can barely stand!" fussed Ceres. "Go get checked out, dummy!"

"I've had worse!" Vesta snapped back.

"Vestaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" whined Pallas.

"Vesta," Sailor Moon said quietly, getting right up next to her fellow Senshi, "maybe you should let Aunt Ami check you. Just to be safe."

Vesta's jaw clenched angrily. Then the anger dissipated. "Yes, Princess."

"Do it just to keep Pallas from worrying," she added, giving Vesta a diplomatic means of saving face.

"I suppose," Vesta nodded, silently grateful for the gesture.

"So what are you going to do when we get back to the palace?" Saturn asked Juno as they headed to their waiting air car.

"Study," chuckled Ceres, overhearing them. "What else does she do?"

Everybody chuckled - - except Juno.

* * *

"OK, listen up," Makoto announced, standing at the head of the classroom where she and the other elder Senshi tutored Usa and her Senshi. "Your final grades for this quarter are in and they're being sent to your PDA's. Now if anybody wants to discuss their grade or what they might be able to do to improve it - - and I'm NOT going to mention any names."

"Ves," Cere said, smirking. Hotaru giggled in spite of herself.

"Shut up," Ves scowled.

"If ANYBODY wants to discuss this, I'm free," Makoto continued. "Just make an appointment. Same with Rei or Minako." She grinned. "Just don't try to schedule before twelve in Minako's case." That got a laugh from everyone in the class except Palla-Palla, who didn't understand. "OK, you're free for two weeks. Try not to forget everything you learned."

As the girls moved down the hall, curiosity naturally got the better of them.

"How'd you do, Usa?" Hotaru ventured.

"Probably scored a hundred," Ves muttered. "She's the closest thing this place has to Mizuno-Sensei. Hell, the only one of us who can get close to her is Jun. And that's only because Jun spends twenty-six hours a day studying."

"When she's not on vid-conference with Colombia," Cere snickered.

"What did you get, Princess?" Palla-Palla asked innocently. "Palla-Palla got a smiley face!"

"Why don't you just read her mind?" Cere huffed.

"Sensei said not to do that because it's rude," the girl responded innocently.

"I got a hundred," Usa replied. She seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Jun-Jun only got a ninety-three," Palla-Palla replied. Instantly Jun colored.

"I thought Sensei said that was rude," Cere said pointedly.

"Does family count too?" Palla-Palla asked. Cere glared at her and nodded. "Oopsie."

"Better than I did," sighed Hotaru. "I got a ninety."

"That's pretty good, considering you're not originally from this century," Jun offered.

"Well, ninety-three is very good, too," Hotaru returned the compliment.

"Considering how hard she works at being Miss Goody-Goody," Ves grumbled "she better get a ninety-three."

Palla-Palla's eyes suddenly shifted to Jun. She stared for a moment, then turned to Ves with just a little surprise.

"Well, maybe Ves-Ves wouldn't get a seventy-five if she spent a little more time studying like Jun-Jun does," Palla-Palla suggested.

"I'm as smart as I need to be," grunted Ves.

After separating, three of the four Amazons headed for their quarters. Jun headed for the garage to work on her hover bike. Inside the quarters, Palla-Palla sat in her corner and absently played with her dolls. Ves and Cere were busy in their rooms, changing. By coincidence, they emerged at the same time.

"Let me guess," sneered Ves. "You're going to be with that skinny artist?"

"Let me guess," Cere volleyed back. "You're going to a night club, get drunk, get into at least one fight, get arrested and bring shame onto the palace and the family?"

"Well, you got the first two right," Ves replied loftily. "I might get lucky and find some guy I want to," and she stopped and looked over at Palla-Palla. Palla-Palla was staring at her intently. "Ah, you know."

"How do you stand having such lofty goals in life?" Cere shot back acidly.

"Got your communicator?" Ves asked, ignoring the jab. Cere presented it with a silent challenge on her face. "Good. Don't get too far from the palace." She headed for the door. "Don't wait up, Palla-Palla. If I'm lucky, this'll be an all nighter."

"You're sure you're going to be all right by yourself?" Cere asked, crouching by where Palla-Palla sat.

The girl nodded. "If Palla-Palla gets lonely, she can visit Jun-Jun in the garage, or the Queen in her office, or the Princess unless she's with Prince Horsie-Man, or . . ."

"OK," Cere cut her off. "I'll probably be late getting back, too, so don't get worried. I'll be in good hands."

Palla-Palla leered at her suddenly.

"Stop that," Cere fussed and headed for the door.

But once she was certain she was alone, Palla-Palla got up and went to the door. She walked along the corridors of the palace tentatively, since her destination wasn't one of her usual ones and the girl feared getting lost. Though she was seventeen outside and a maturing woman physically, her mind would be forever five and directions weren't her strong suit. Finally she began to recognize familiar territory. She walked up to a door and stood, waiting for the environmental control computer to acknowledge her. Moments later, the door slid open and Makoto Kino peered out.

"Palla-Palla? What did you want, Hon'?" Makoto asked.

"Can Palla-Palla talk to you, Miss Makoto-Ma'am?"

"Is it important?" Makoto queried. Palla-Palla nodded her head. "Well, OK. Come on in. I was making dinner. You want some?"

"Yes, please," nodded Palla-Palla. "Miss Makoto-Ma'am is a very good cook."

"Oh!" Ami gasped in mild surprise as she entered the room. "I wasn't aware we had company."

"Is it going to bother you if Ami sits in on this?" Makoto asked.

Palla-Palla thought it over. Eventually she shook her head, but both women could see the girl was burdened with something.

"How about we talk after we eat?" Makoto suggested.

* * *

Long after the staff in the maintenance area of the Palace Vehicle Storage Facility had left for the evening, Jun sat on a crate and tinkered with her hover bike. Recently the girl had been seen more and more in the facility, diligently maintaining her vehicle: servicing the induction coils, cleaning the superconductor generators, and trouble-shooting any problem she might have recently noticed on one of her rides. Jun had come to be known and trusted by the staff, not just because she was one of the Princess's Senshi, but because the staff could sense the pride and affection she had for the bike.

At first the staff had been wary of her; not only for her history as a reformed villainess, but as someone who seemed to go out of her way to be feminine and intellectual. When she'd first purchased the bike and stored it in the facility, more than one wondered if it was some whim to "seem cool" or "to meet a boy". Time had proven their concerns unfounded and now she was accepted by everyone.

And that made the storage facility a haven.

"Hey, Jun," a voice called out suddenly. Jun looked up, surprised that she hadn't noticed Makoto Kino approach and curious why the woman was here in the first place. "How's it going?"

"Oh, just putting a new containment shield on the superconductor generator," Jun replied. "It should make the generator even more efficient and give me even more speed."

"You don't go fast enough as it is?" Makoto grinned.

"Um," Jun tensed. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"Not if you can handle it," Makoto replied. "But you young folk don't always think that far ahead. And I wouldn't want you to get hurt going faster than you safely can - - or hurt somebody else."

"Yeah," Jun said softly.

"But I trust your judgment," Makoto added. "If you think you can handle it, you probably can. And if you can't, you'll know to back off in time."

"Thanks," Jun sighed with relief.

"So where are you in such a hurry to get to?"

Jun looked up at her. To make her feel more at ease, Makoto pulled up another crate and sat down next to her.

"I don't know," the teen sighed, looking down.

"Something bothering you?" Makoto ventured cautiously. "I'm not trying to be nosy. And I can be very discreet. But I've got to admit that you've got some folks worried."

"Who?"

"Palla-Palla," Makoto confessed. "She sensed you weren't too happy when the others made those remarks about your study habits."

"They didn't mean anything by it," Jun said. "Maybe they're right. About all I do is study or talk to Chief Minister Gomez or work on my bike." She looked down. "I guess I am kind of dull."

"Does that bother you?" Makoto asked. "Being dull?"

"Well," Jun began thoughtfully, "it doesn't exactly help in the dating department. I haven't had a date since Quad died. And everybody thinks of me as 'the good sister' - - the one everybody else turns to when they have a problem. And that's OK - - I guess." She shifted uncomfortably. "It's just . . ."

"Is there something you want to do besides study and support everyone else?" Makoto probed.

"Does it matter?" Jun asked. "I've got responsibilities."

"Of course it matters," her Sensei told her. "You can't be always on duty. Even Senshi need a little time to themselves. We all get a break now and then, just to keep from flipping out."

"But we're Senshi."

"Jun, we all take breaks. When I was your age, we weren't joined to Serenity at the hip. Ami studied in England for six years. Rei took time off for college, too, and other family concerns. Minako had a film and a singing career to manage, too. Plus she ran off and got married - - THREE TIMES!"

"What about you?"

"I took time off, too," Makoto replied. "I had two children to raise. And there was this one time that I took two weeks to go to a monastery in the country." She darkened. "That didn't exactly go as planned." Brightening, she turned back to Jun. "But we could go because the others were willing to cover for us. That's how close we were and are. And if there's something you want to do, go do it. I'm sure Usa and the Asteroids will cover for you."

"I don't know," moaned Jun. "Maybe they will, but should I?"

"What are you afraid of? You'll fail? So you fail; at least you tried. That you'll let someone down? I guarantee Usa and the Asteroids will understand. So will Serenity and Endymion." She focused on Jun. "Or are you afraid you'll actually enjoy it?"

"That's stupid," Jun frowned, her eyes seeking the floor again.

"Well, unless what you're planning is illegal or dangerous, everyone will understand and I say go for it," Makoto advised her. "After all, you're only young once. Believe me. You might as well enjoy some of your youth while you have it."

Jun considered the advice.

"So if I'm not being too nosy," Makoto gently probed, "just what is it you wanted to do?"

Jun sighed. "I want to take my bike out and just tour Japan," she said. "See every corner of it. All I know is Crystal Tokyo. I want to just fend for myself, live off the land, meet new people - - maybe fall in love." She colored. "Sounds pretty butch, doesn't it?"

"You're asking the wrong person that question," chuckled Makoto. "When I was a kid, I thought playing soccer was too butch. I was a pretty messed up kid." Her hand patted Jun on the knee. "But it doesn't sound like that bad of a wish. It sounds like it could be fun. And you may even learn something." She gave Jun a warm Makoto smile. "Even if it's just a little bit more about yourself."

"Yeah?"

"Take my advice for what it's worth, because I don't claim to know everything," Makoto continued. "As long as you play it smart, like keeping your PDA and your Senshi Communicator with you to contact someone if you run into trouble, I think you should go for it. In fact, if you want to clear it with Usa, I'll clear it with the King and Queen."

"You will?"

"Endymion's reasonable," Makoto nodded. "And heck, Serenity's a pushover. I bake her some cinnamon rolls, she'll agree to just about anything." Jun giggled. "Just let me know what you decide to do."

"I will," Jun nodded. She got up from the crate. "Thank you, Kino-Sensei."

"Glad to do it, Hon'," Makoto grinned, towering over the girl as she rose to her full height. "Stream me some pictures from Kobe."

Continued in Chapter 2


	2. Trials Of The Heart

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 2: "Trials Of The Heart"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

"How was school?" Michiru asked. Upon hearing the door, she'd glanced up from her violin and seen Hotaru enter.

"Same old," Hotaru shrugged.

"Grades?" Haruka called out from the kitchen.

"I got a ninety, Papa!" she called back.

"That's all right, dear," Michiru said, patting her on the shoulder. "A little perseverance and you'll get a hundred yet."

"Thanks, Mama," Hotaru replied unenthusiastically.

"And the mission? I believe you went out with the other Senshi this morning."

"We won," Hotaru replied shyly. "The world is safe for another day."

"That's good," Michiru smiled. Hotaru got the sense that she was being examined more closely than Michiru wanted to let on. She sensed Michiru wanted to ask about her health, but was keeping diplomatically quiet.

"So how are you feeling?" Haruka asked, peering in from the kitchen.

"Fine, Papa," huffed Hotaru. Diplomacy had never been a virtue of Haruka's.

"No pain? No fatigue? No dizziness?"

"I said I was fine."

"Haruka, don't badger the girl," sighed Michiru.

"Yeah, 'cause she'd tell us if she was," Haruka shot back.

"Mizuno-Sensei gave me a clean bill of health, Papa," Hotaru fumed. "And I've been doing my cardio exercises regularly. They really help."

"Sure you're not slacking off to look at the other girls?" teased Haruka.

"Papa!" huffed Hotaru.

"OK. I'll take your word for it," Haruka surrendered. "I'm sorry. I worry."

"Don't mind her, Hotaru," Michiru offered with a smile. "She's just an old mother hen." Then she glanced playfully at Haruka. "Father hen."

"You don't have to worry, Papa," Hotaru told her. "I'm really dedicated to this cardio program Mizuno-Sensei gave me. It's very well thought out. It's going to make me stronger. If it works out like I hope it will, I'm never going to have any trouble like this again. And then nobody will have to worry about how fragile I am."

Haruka and Michiru glanced at each other.

"Well, OK," Haruka replied. "But I'm always going to worry about you. No exercise program is going to change that. And do me a favor, huh? Don't exercise until you become some muscle-bound Sumo Wrestler."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," sighed Hotaru.

* * *

"I'm not sure that I need to make an official proclamation," Endymion said in his office. "But you seem to need it. You are granted leave from your duties as Senshi for as long as you see fit."

Endymion was talking to Jun, who stood nervously in front of his desk. No matter that Usa stood next to her or that he'd done everything he could think of over the time she'd been here to put the girl at ease, Jun was always very stiff and anxious around him. Over the years he'd gotten used to his title and position getting in the way of his interactions with people. It didn't mean he liked it.

"And I hope you can have some fun," he added.

"Yes, please do have a nice time," Serenity added, leaning in. She had been standing at Endymion's right.

"Thank you," Jun nodded stiffly. For a moment she was at a loss for what to do next. Finally she backed away from the desk and exited the door, Usa following her.

"Wish I could go with you," Usa said as the two teens headed down the corridor. "But I have 'official duties'." She glanced at Jun. "And maybe I'd be getting in the way?"

"No, not at all!" Jun gasped. "I just can't help feeling that I'm letting you down."

"We'll handle it," Usa assured her. "Maybe nothing will happen. We're past due for a little peace around here. And if something does come up, we'll handle it. We handled Hotaru being laid up. We'll handle this."

"But . . ."

"No," Usa cautioned her. "You go do what you have to do. We'll handle it. And your spot will be waiting for you when you get back. You just go find love or adventure or whatever it is you're looking for - - even if it's just a little time away from all of this."

"Right, Princess," Jun smiled in defeat.

No sooner had Jun entered the quarters she shared with the other Amazons than Palla-Palla marched right up to her. Due to their similar heights, Palla-Palla could look her right in the eye.

"Why does Jun-Jun have to go?" the girl demanded, emotion swelling every sound enunciated.

"It's not forever, Palla-Palla," Jun sighed, draping her arm over her adoptive sister's shoulder. "I'll come back. I promise. I just - - want to do this. I need to do this."

Palla-Palla stuck her lower lip out. "Jun-Jun promises?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "And I won't break it. I know how mad that makes you."

Palla-Palla looked down. "All right. But please don't break your promise."

Cere stepped in and gently guided her sister away. Grabbing a backpack off of a chair, she handed it to Jun.

"I packed a few things for you," Cere offered. "Figured you wanted to get started."

"Thanks," Jun said, touched by the gesture and at the same time dreading what it implied.

"Do us a favor, huh?" Cere began, her eyes misting. "Call us. I don't know, maybe once a day? Just so we don't worry."

"I will," Jun nodded. Cere backed away and Ves entered the picture.

"Sounds like fun," Ves said. "Sounds like something the old Jun would do. Wish I was going with you."

"I'd never get anywhere," Jun smirked. "You'd have us stopping at every bar."

"Yeah," chuckled Ves. Then she grew serious. "Watch your back, huh. It's still a dangerous world, no matter what The Queen thinks. And don't fall in love with the first bad boy you meet."

"I could give you the same advice," Jun shot back. Ves nodded and backed away. She was about to leave, but Palla-Palla approached again.

"Please take this with you, Jun-Jun," she requested. In her hand was a homemade doll shaped to be a miniature replica of Palla-Palla. "It's so you don't forget us."

"As if I could," Jun croaked out. She hugged Palla-Palla for the longest time. When they finally parted, she took the doll from her and then headed for the vehicle storage facility.

* * *

The gym was a familiar place for the princess to be. Since her second return trip from the twentieth century, Usa had followed a regular training regime, set up by Ami and Makoto, to get stronger, faster and tougher in preparation for her goal of assuming the mantle of Sailor Moon. After assuming it, the girl hadn't stopped. She hadn't been dissuaded by her mother's plaintive calls that she would turn herself into a broad-shouldered, muscle-bound hulk who would look terrible in a gown. If anything, it spurred her on. Recently she could be found either working out on her own or sparring with Ves.

It was not a familiar place to find Hotaru. But that's where Usa found her.

"Look at you!" gasped the pink princess as she entered, her feline body decked out in a cutoff sweatshirt and twill shorts.

Hotaru was on a stationary bike. Her slim body was covered in a long-sleeve leotard and tights - - black, of course - - and what little visible skin there was had a sheen of perspiration. Looking over her shoulder was Kaname Onijiro, one of the Palace Infirmary physical therapists. Onijiro was forty-two, short but solidly built. For a fleeting moment, Usa wondered if she could take the woman, then dismissed the thought.

"Just doing my cardio," Hotaru panted. "Pull up a bike."

"I'll stick to tai chi, thank you," Usa quipped. "How long have you been at this?"

"Today?" Hotaru asked breathlessly. "Not that long."

"Thirty minutes for this session," Onijiro reported. "Are your thighs burning?"

Hotaru didn't answer right away.

"Tell the truth," Usa demanded.

"Yes," Hotaru surrendered. Immediately Onijiro gestured.

"Off the bike," she ordered. "You can do your stretching now."

"I'm not that tired," Hotaru protested as she dismounted.

"Hotaru, don't push yourself. That's how you got in this mess in the first place," Usa fussed at her.

"All right," she sighed. As Hotaru sank down onto a mat and began stretching her back and legs, Usa launched into her tai chi regime. "I just don't want to go through that again. I want to be strong."

"Push yourself too much and you WILL go through that again," Onijiro advised her. "You can't push muscles past their limit or they break."

"Jun set out on her 'great journey'," Usa said as she held one stance, then gracefully melted into another. "I saw her off at vehicle storage."

"I hope she's going to be all right," Hotaru replied, bending her small body forward with her left leg straight and her right bent at an angle. She tried to touch her nose to her knee, as she'd seen someone once do, but her hamstring began protesting with two inches to go.

"I hope she finds whatever she's looking for," Usa added, kicking out with the precision of a machine. "I can't help feeling that I should have done something. Obviously she wasn't happy. It's up to me to know that."

"Why?"

Usa stopped and looked at Hotaru. The girl's question was in earnest.

"I'm team leader," Usa explained. "And I'm supposed to be her friend. And, well . . ."

"And if you missed it, that means you're not perfect?" Hotaru smirked slyly. She received an acid look from her friend. "Usa, don't beat yourself up for stuff that's not your fault."

"I should have known," Usa maintained, resuming her defensive stances.

"The other Asteroids didn't know, and they live with her," Hotaru argued. Onijiro was gently pressing into her back to allow Hotaru to maintain her stretch. "You can't know what everybody's thinking all the time, no matter how smart you are."

"Why not?"

"You just can't," Hotaru fussed.

"I bet I know what you're thinking," Usa smirked.

"I bet you don't," Hotaru murmured.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're a stuck-up, full of herself princess," Hotaru grinned. Usa shot her tongue out at her.

"OK, cool down period, Hotaru," Onijiro announced.

"Can't I go back on the bike?"

"No," Onijiro told her. "But if you're that determined, you can have a period on the treadmill."

"I hate the treadmill," Hotaru sighed.

"Why don't you try tai chi?" Usa asked. "It's a really good workout, plus it helps your self-defense skills."

"Does Ves do it?" Hotaru asked warily.

"No. It's not violent enough for her. She prefers boxing and karate."

"Then maybe I will try it," Hotaru replied.

* * *

Cere entered the quarters she shared with her adoptive sisters. After Jun's departure, she'd spent some time in the Queen's garden. Being with the plants always lifted her spirits when she was depressed. But her buoyed spirits evaporated again when she entered and saw Palla-Palla sitting in her doll corner, alone and forlorn.

"Oh, man," Cere whispered softly.

"Palla-Palla is sorry for upsetting Cere-Cere," the girl mumbled from her corner.

"I wish you were sorry for always reading my mind," her sister muttered. "Are you going to be like this the whole time?"

"Palla-Palla still doesn't understand why Jun-Jun had to leave," the blue-haired girl pitifully complained. "She knows it's because she's stupid and she's sorry, but she doesn't understand."

And Cere experienced a moment of impatience when she just wanted to walk away and go back to the garden so she could feel good again. But she was the oldest and the one the others looked to for answers. So Cere carefully stepped through the clutter of toys, found a space next to Palla-Palla and sat down.

"Do you remember the old Jun?" Cere began. "The one we met in the orphanage?"

"Yes," squeaked Palla-Palla. "Palla-Palla wasn't sure she was a boy or a girl when she first met Jun-Jun."

"She always dressed in pants," Cere smiled nostalgically. "Always in the yard, running and playing with the other boys. Always very direct. Always would look you right in the eye, like she wasn't afraid of anything." She glanced at Palla-Palla. "I always figured it was because of her upbringing. She'd never had to act like a girl, living in the middle of the jungle with that old man who raised her."

"A lot of people said she was like Ves-Ves, but Palla-Palla knew different," Palla-Palla proclaimed triumphantly. "Palla-Palla knew that Ves-Ves was just angry and suspicious. But Jun-Jun wasn't angry at anybody." She looked down. "She just missed her Mister Grandpa-Sir."

"And she wasn't too happy living in modern civilization after spending all that time in the jungle," Cere said. "That's why she was so eager to go with us when we ran away." Cere sobered. "And then we ran into Nehelania."

"Palla-Palla doesn't like thinking about her," Palla-Palla murmured. "Or mean old Granny Zirconia."

"Neither do I," Cere said. "But it happened. And that changed Jun. Scared her. I'm sure it scared all of us, but her most of all. So she - - sort of over-compensated. Started studying hard, started wearing dresses, deferring to Usa and the crown, all in an effort to be the perfect little good girl and prove to everyone - - mostly herself - - that her Dead Moon Circus personality wasn't her. That it wasn't even a shadow of her."

"But it's not," Palla-Palla spoke up. "Granny Zirconia did that to us."

"Zirconia just gave us the means," Cere advised her. "We indulged our own dark sides. Just because we'd gone too far to stop when we ran into Sailor Moon doesn't mean it wasn't our choice in the first place. It was wrong and we knew it; we were just too angry or selfish to care."

"Palla-Palla still doesn't understand why Jun-Jun had to leave."

"She's confused, Palla-Palla," Cere sighed. "She tried being a thug for Nehelenia and that scared her. Then she tried being the ultimate good girl and that isn't her, either. She's been so busy trying to be what everybody else wants her to be, that she doesn't remember what she wants to be anymore." Palla-Palla still looked confused. "Remember those career essays we had to do?"

"Palla-Palla didn't have to do it."

"Well we did. Ves said she wanted to be a Senshi. Hotaru said she wanted to be a doctor. I said botanist. Jun couldn't come up with anything. She doesn't know what she wants to be because she doesn't know who she is anymore."

"Jun-Jun told you this?"

"She didn't have to," Cere replied. "You guys aren't that hard to figure out. Anyway, Jun decided that she couldn't think here. So she's getting away to figure out who she is besides our sister and fellow Senshi."

"She's coming back, isn't she?"

"She said she would," Cere assured her sister. "You've never known her to lie, have you?" Palla-Palla shook her head. "Then she will. I don't know when, but she will."

* * *

It was after her session as a student intern in the infirmary. Hotaru had been asked by Dr. Mizuno to stop by her office for a review of her medical scans. This was the third such review since her release from hospitalization, but Hotaru had decided that this review would be different.

"Your scans are within acceptable levels," Ami said, reading from holographic charts in front of her as she spoke. It was one of Dr. Mizuno's habits that Hotaru didn't like: focusing on data as she spoke to someone. "The scan after your outing as Sailor Saturn was particularly encouraging. There was no sign of any cardiopulmonary distress during or after the mission. That's a very good sign."

"I felt good during the mission," Hotaru recalled. "I felt like my old self."

"That's always a good sign," Ami smiled, turning to her. "I am concerned that you're pushing your exercise regime too far and too fast. I realize that you're impatient to be free of your condition, but overworking yourself won't do it."

"Dr. Mizuno," Hotaru began. Her eyes reflexively sought the floor. "I was wondering: this exercise program won't cure me, will it?"

Ami sobered. "Proper diet, a carefully planned exercise program and an eye toward moderation will allow you to lead a normal life."

"But I don't lead a normal life," Hotaru countered. "And you can't guarantee this won't happen again, can you?"

"Honestly, no. The program I've given you will reduce the possibility as much as I can, but given your lifestyle, it could happen again."

"What if a cloned heart was transplanted in place of the one I have now?"

"I see you've been researching the subject," Ami observed. "A cloned heart would be a solution for someone who led a normal lifestyle. But for someone who led the dangerous lifestyle we lead, it might make the problem even worse. The clone heart itself would function fine, but the places where it was attached would be more subject to stress reactions, since attaching the clone heart would necessitate invasive surgery. Ultimately, to eliminate the problem we would have to clone your entire body and transplant your brain into it. And that's beyond our science."

"But people have their brains transplanted into cybernetic bodies," argued Hotaru.

"A cybernetic brain case would be rejected by human tissue," Ami advised her. "If you're adamant about this, we could do a clone heart transplant. But it would mean you'd have to give up being Sailor Saturn. It would put too much stress on the transplant area."

That wasn't the news Hotaru had wanted to hear. Ami felt for her, but kept silent.

"All right," Hotaru said after a pause. "What about a cyber-heart?"

Continued in Chapter 3


	3. Plans Undone

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 3: "Plans Undone"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

"All right," Hotaru said after a pause. "What about a cyber-heart?"

The reaction she got from Ami Mizuno wasn't what she'd expected.

"Cybernetic artificial hearts have been around for centuries," Hotaru continued. "The procedure is simple enough. Sure, clone heart transplants are the norm now, but cyber-hearts are still used in certain cases and they're very successful according to the published data."

"I agree," Ami nodded. "Cyber-hearts are viable alternatives when clone hearts aren't feasible. But you're overlooking two things, Hotaru."

Hotaru looked at her with surprise.

"The first is the ordinance in Japan that forbids cybernetic transplant or augmentation to increase a human's natural ability. That law was put in place by Queen Serenity herself and she's very adamant about it."

"What's that got to do with me?" Hotaru cried.

"Technically, you'd be undergoing this procedure in order to allow yourself to continue unhindered as Sailor Saturn," Ami explained. "While this probably wasn't the intent of her ordinance, from a legal standpoint it does meet the parameters."

"I'm sure the Queen would make an exception," Hotaru whimpered.

"Perhaps she would," Ami nodded. "Knowing her as I do, she's quite capable of reversing a decision for what she views as special circumstances. But there's an even greater concern."

"What?"

"What physical changes we undergo when we transform into our Senshi forms isn't completely known, even after all these years," Ami told her. "In your case, we know that certain physical characteristics transfer from one form to another, such as your heart defect. What we don't know is whether your artificial heart, being a mechanism, will transfer from one form to another intact and functioning. Unfortunately, there's also no way of finding out short of performing the procedure and then seeing if you die from transforming. And I don't intend to perform such a procedure with that sort of risk. Not unless you were terminal and it was the only means to save your life."

"Oh." Hotaru seemed crushed by the statement and Ami felt for her.

"I'm sorry, Hotaru," Ami said. "As of now, this will always be a factor in your life should you continue to pursue being Sailor Saturn. If you maintain the diet and exercise program I gave you, we can minimize the risk as much as possible. But as long as you're Sailor Saturn, it's always going to be there."

"I see," Hotaru murmured. "Thank you, Mizuno-Sensei, for hearing me out at least."

"Hotaru, this isn't a death sentence," Ami added. "You still have an excellent chance to live a full, healthy and productive life."

But Hotaru just turned and left.

* * *

 **Jun's Diary: 8 August, 2997; 8 km southeast of Chichibu**

 _First day out and my bike busts a coolant coil. That is NOT something you want to do regardless, but definitely not in 30 degree heat_ (85 degrees Fahrenheit) _and 75% humidity. And I'm still eight km from Chichibu, out in the middle of nowhere._

 _So I'm walking._

 _Given where I grew up, I should be used to humidity. I am, I guess. But I never liked it. And before, Mi Padre taught me a trick. If I concentrate enough, I can force the water vapor in the air away from my body. That let me be a little cooler._

"I wonder if it'll still work," Jun mumbled to herself, stopping on the little two lane mountain road she was walking on. Cautiously she looked both ways as she tucked the electronic diary into her belt. Traffic on the road was light, but she didn't want to be struck by a vehicle while her eyes were closed, even though she was on the berm. A properly tuned hover car or hover bike didn't give off a lot of noise and one would be upon her before she heard it.

Feeling that she was safe, Jun closed her eyes and let her chin fall to her chest. As her guardian from the Amazon River had taught her, Jun reached inside of herself until she was in contact with her inner spirit. Through her spirit, she reached out to the water molecules in the air. Gently she pushed them away. While maintaining contact, Jun slowly allowed herself to return to consciousness. A freight truck whizzed by her. The backwash blew against her, momentarily cooling her skin.

"It worked," she smiled. "I do feel cooler." She looked down at her bare arm, the perspiration on it evaporating in the unsaturated air around her. "Funny how I could always do that, even before I got my Senshi powers. Sort of like how Palla-Palla could always read minds or how Cere always had an affinity with plants. I wonder if Queen Serenity just augmented what abilities we already had instead of actually giving us our powers."

Another cargo truck whizzed past her, bringing Jun back to reality.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't get me any closer to Chichibu," she sighed. Banishing doubt from her mind, Jun squared her shoulders and resumed walking. "I knew I should have followed the Tone River. But nooooo, I wanted to see the mountains."

She walked on.

"They are kind of nice, though," Jun relented. "Queen Serenity's conservation efforts have really kept this area green and undamaged - - well, as green and undamaged as a place with a two-lane highway running through it can be. But compared to the land mismanagement I remember in Brasilia and Colombia, this is almost pristine. Cere would love this place."

She giggled to herself.

"Except for the climbing," she joked out loud, almost to keep herself company. Then she noticed the clouds overhead. "Uh oh, those clouds are getting dark. I hope I can get to Chichibu before it opens up!"

Jun took three steps and then the sudden downpours that Japan was noted for happened once more.

"Thank you, God," Jun scowled as the rain pelted her.

For a moment she did a slow burn. Then inspiration struck. She stuck her hand in the air and transformed into Sailor Juno.

"Aqua Initiation!" Juno shouted.

Using her power over water, Juno formed a two-foot in diameter puddle of suspended water over her head. While it was raining on all sides of her, the puddle would catch the raindrops directly over her head. When the puddle became too full, water would cascade over the sides. But the puddle's mistress was untouched, due to the cohesion of the puddle and its width.

Nodding to herself in triumph, Juno resumed her trek for Chichibu.

* * *

Wafting through the sky over Crystal Tokyo was an increasingly familiar sight, that being a gleaming white horse with massive white wings. The sight immediately suggested both immense coiled power and a delicate grace that could take one's breath away. And if this sight wasn't enough for most people, astride the white horse was an arresting young woman with flowing pink hair and a captivating face and figure. People would catch sight of them and point. Others would turn and spot her and cheer or wave, happy that The Princess Usagi, the darling of the kingdom, had graced them with her image. But all was not well above.

"Maiden," Pegasus thought as he glided along an air current. "I see a storm approaching from the west. Perhaps we should curtain this activity until the storm passes?" They were flying high above the city because for one, both had come to adore the freedom and intimacy that the activity brought them, and secondly it was fifteen degrees cooler in the upper air and August in Japan was still stifling hot even in the Thirtieth Century.

But Usa still stared.

"Maiden?" Pegasus repeated his thought.

"Hmm?" Usa asked absently. "I'm sorry, Helios. What were you saying?"

"A storm approaches. Perhaps we should set down?"

"Oh. Yeah, we should."

Pegasus expertly glided down to the Palace Aeropad atop the structure. Once Usa dismounted, he transformed back into Helios.

"Do you still worry about Hotaru?" Helios asked. "Or have you found some new concern to castigate yourself over?"

"Hotaru," she sighed. Then she realized just what her lover had said. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Who else but the Princess Usagi takes the weight of the world upon her soft shoulders?" Helios smiled. Usa glared at him peevishly.

"That's going to cost you," she grumbled. Then she sighed in frustration. "It's Hotaru. I heard she got some bad news from Aunt Ami. She's fine - - but Hotaru is so worried about her long-term health and I don't think Aunt Ami had the answers she wanted."

Usa felt a hand close around hers. Sensing it was Helios, she squeezed it.

"It's so not fair!" Usa huffed. "I even offered to heal Hotaru's heart defect with my crystal," and her mouth curled into a frown, "but Aunt Ami said it was too much of a risk to me. Said the same thing when Mom offered to do it."

"Maiden," Helios offered, "there are some things in life that we must accept, if only because changing them might bring even greater harm."

"I don't accept that!" Usa shook her head. "There's got to be a way. I'm not going to watch Hotaru have to choose between her dreams and her life. There's got to be a way!" She turned to Helios. "Think of a way."

"M-Maiden," gasped Helios, put off balance by the demand. "I am the Guardian of Pleasant Dreams, not the Master of Time, Space and Reality. There is only so much in my domain."

"Yeah, that's what I keep coming up with," sighed Usa. "But there has to be a . . ." Just then her PDA signaled an incoming call. "Hi, this is Usa. Jun? Hey, how's the trip going?" Her happy face began to fall. "You did?" A pause. "You are?" Another pause. "Of course! It's no problem! Just let me transfer the credits to your PDA." She paused again. "It's a borrowed PDA? Right, sorry, of course. Give me the account number and I'll transfer them."

Usa pulled the device down and typed in a few commands. Then she put the device back to her ear.

"Did you get it? Great! No, don't you worry about it for a second! It's a friend helping out a friend. You're very welcomed, Jun. And I hope the trip goes a lot smoother now. Bye."

"Something has happened?"

"Jun," giggled Usa, "had her hover bike conk out on her in the mountains and had to walk eight kilometers to Chichibu to get a replacement part - - in the rain. Then she gets to Chichibu and realizes she left her PDA and her transaction card with the bike and couldn't pay for it."

"Oh dear," Helios replied, his mouth curling up with humor.

"So she called me for a loan to pay for it," Usa continued. "Mainly because she was too embarrassed to call one of the Amazons."

"Must she walk back to her bike now?"

"No, one of the mechanics in Chichibu offered to give her a lift back to her bike."

"Indeed, I hope as well that her trip goes more smoothly from this point."

"Well," Usa shrugged, "I guess it couldn't get any worse."

* * *

"Is that cookies I smell?" Haruka said suddenly. She turned toward the kitchen nook of the quarters she shared with Michiru and Hotaru and sniffed.

"And if I said 'no'?" Michiru asked, popping her head out of the kitchen nook. She wore a playful smile.

"I'd say you were the worst liar in Japan," Haruka responded. Ambling over, the woman sat down on a stool at the counter overlooking the kitchen. Michiru was taking a sheet of cookies out of the laser convection oven. "What brought this on?"

Michiru shrugged as she placed the sheet on a butcher block counter top next to the oven.

"I was feeling domestic," the woman confessed. "Can you at least let them cool before you take some?"

"But it takes so loooooong," groaned the woman, her sandy hair falling across her forehead.

"And leave some for Hotaru," Michiru admonished. "She's still feeling down about her heart condition."

"I know," Haruka sighed. "I'd give her mine if it would help. Maybe cookies will get her mind off of it for a little bit. I know it would get my mind off it."

Michiru crossed from the kitchen to the bedrooms and knocked on Hotaru's door. Waiting for her to be asked in, Michiru peered inside when the door hissed open. She found Hotaru at her computer. Since school was out, it had to be personal. Since Hotaru had let her in, it wasn't intimately personal.

On the screen was a file on cardio-kinetics. Ordinarily she'd conclude that Hotaru was studying on her own to further her medical ambition. Given her recent history, Michiru thought otherwise.

"What's so interesting?" Michiru asked.

"I'm just comparing various cardiac training programs," Hotaru said without turning from the screen. "To see which one is best. Usa suggested Tai Chi. I might take her up on that."

"I thought you were happy with Ami's program."

Hotaru sighed with frustration. "It's not working fast enough."

"Well I hope you find a program that will best suit your needs and abilities," Michiru offered.

"I do, too. I want to get stronger. I'm tired of being weak and sickly."

"A noble goal," Michiru said. Then she put her hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "Just don't overdo it in your zeal to get stronger. Anything taken too fast or too far is potentially as bad as what you're trying to remedy."

"I know," Hotaru said. Michiru wondered if she actually did.

"There's cookies in the kitchen," Michiru said gently. "If you want some, you'd better get them now before Haruka scarfs them all down."

"Yeah," Hotaru replied, her brow furrowed. Hitting her bookmark stud, the girl got up and followed her guardian out of the room.

* * *

Riding back to her bike in the repair and supply shop's towing vehicle, Jun surveyed the mountain road cautiously. Being unfamiliar with it in this direction, she didn't want to accidentally pass where she'd left her bike. Her hand gripped the coolant coil more tightly, as if she feared it would squirt away and suddenly disappear. It was irrational, but she did it anyway. Jun had lost enough time fussing with this problem. She was eager to get back on the road, find her way through the mountains and on to some other part of Japan that she'd never experienced.

"If you want, I can put that part on for you," the driver offered.

Jun glanced over at him. He was a burly man around fifty with thinning salt and pepper hair and the rough skin of someone who had worked in the elements most of his life. It was something that was less common in this technological age. But someone still had to make and repair the devices that saved everybody else time and toil. Robots could only do so much.

"That's OK," Jun told him. "I can do it. I'm an old hand at vehicle maintenance."

She glanced at him again. The man was old enough to be her father. Then she remembered who her father was. Maybe it was better to recall her guardian from the Amazon. He was older than this man, but seemed to have some of the same kindly attitude.

"Oh, one of those modern girls," the man nodded. "I suppose proficiency at a skill is admirable, no matter the skill."

"What's that mean?"

"You'll think me old-fashioned," he replied. "A woman can be many things. That's been proven over the centuries. But a woman with an ability to cook and to nurture children is a rare commodity." He glanced over at her. "A girl your age is too young to have children, I hope. So how's your cooking?"

"I won't poison myself," Jun answered. "How's yours?"

The man smiled. "Terrible. My daughter cooks for me because she doesn't want to see me starve to death." He glanced at her again. "That was her on the counter at the shop."

"She knows her parts," Jun nodded. "All I had to do was tell her the make of the bike and she knew the part instantly."

"Karin has a great memory for stock," he nodded. "She can identify any part on any vehicle made in the last fifty years." He winked. "Cooks a great curry, too."

"And her nurturing?"

"She doesn't have time," he sighed. "It's too bad, because I think she'd be great at it. But she has to help me run the shop - - take over for me when I retire. So her husband raises their two boys." He sighed again. "It's an odd arrangement, but it seems to work."

"If it works, then there's nothing odd about it," Jun commented.

"So how about you? You out sight-seeing? Or do you have a destination in mind?"

"I'm," Jun began, looking out the window of the vehicle, "looking for something."

"What?" he asked. "If it's not too personal."

Before she could answer, Jun straightened up in her seat. Becoming excited, she began pointing.

"I recognize this rock formation!" she exclaimed. "My bike is just around this curve!"

"Wow, tough place to break down," the driver commented. "And you walked all the way to Chichibu from here?"

"Didn't have much choice."

"You should have called a ride service," he observed. "Or used your PDA to get hold of the shop and let us know. I would have picked you up."

Jun stared in mild shock.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I should have done that. Man, I am off to a doozy of a start! Maybe I should have brought Ves along!" The vehicle made the turn. "Here! Stop here!"

Crossing the road, Jun walked up to where she'd left her bike. But there was no bike. Frantically she looked around, confirming the landmarks in her mind.

"Are you sure you left it here?" the driver asked, climbing out of the tow.

"Yeah! I left it right here! There's the impressions of the superconductor thrust outlets in the dirt by the side of the road!" Jun looked around in shock. "Somebody stole my bike!"

Continued in Chapter 4


	4. Finding Myself

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 4: "Finding Myself"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

Ves strolled back into the quarters she shared with the other Amazons. She had just put in a grueling forty-five minute workout with a holographic boxing program in the gym, as no one else was either available or willing to spar with her. Dressed in a muscle shirt and cut-off shorts, Ves was wiping the sheen of sweat from her face and neck. Inside the room, Palla-Palla sat in her doll corner and absently played with her dolls.

"You just get back from PKE class?" Ves asked. Palla-Palla nodded. "Learn anything good?"

"Palla-Palla can turn off her head so she can't hear what someone else is thinking," the teen announced. "Sensei said she was very good."

"Now you don't have any excuse," Ves grinned.

"Who is Muhammed Ali?" Palla-Palla asked. Ves gave her a sidelong glance.

"I thought you could turn that off."

"Palla-Palla can," the girl replied. The implication, however innocent, was clear.

"I had to spar with the hologram, so I called up a real old one," Ves shrugged. "Guy was an American boxer back in the twentieth century," Ves explained. "He was good, too. Fast as anybody I fought."

"Ves-Ves," Palla-Palla said suddenly, pulling Ves out of her reverie. "Do you think Jun-Jun misses us?"

"Sure she does," Ves grunted. "We're family. You always miss your family." Ves paused to think of her dead father. "Well, most of the time. Don't worry, she'll come home when she's done what she needs to do."

"Does Ves-Ves think she's all right?"

"Hey, Jun knows how to handle herself," Ves maintained. "Almost as good as me. Don't let that 'good girl' stuff fool you. When the chips are down, Jun knows what to do."

Ves paused and thought for a moment. Instantly Palla-Palla turned to her, sensing the sudden shift in her sister's thought process.

"Thing is, does she still have the stones to do it," mused Ves. "I guess that's what she's trying to find out with this trip."

"And if Jun-Jun doesn't have her rocks?" Palla-Palla asked with some concern. "Will she still be all right?"

"Don't worry about it," Ves maintained. "Jun is probably laying back and enjoying life at this very minute."

* * *

Crossing the road, Jun walked up to where she'd left her bike. But there was no bike. Frantically she looked around, confirming the landmarks in her mind.

"Are you sure you left it here?" the driver asked, climbing out of the tow.

"Yeah! I left it right here! There's the impressions of the superconductor thrust outlets in the dirt by the side of the road!" Jun looked around in shock. "Somebody stole my bike!"

"That's a shame," the tow vehicle driver said. "I can't imagine anyone doing such a thing. Especially out in a remote location like this."

"Somebody probably glided past and thought it was abandoned," Jun scowled. "Everything I own was on that bike! My PDA, my . . .!"

"Say, maybe it wasn't stolen," her traveling companion reasoned. "Look around and see if you see a metal disk with a red circle in the middle."

Complying, Jun looked around the area she was standing in. There to her left, about ten feet from her, was just such a disk. Pointing, she looked at the driver.

"That's a Highway Enforcement Disk," he smiled knowingly. "Step on the red circle in the middle."

Jun did as she was asked. Instantly a holographic image sprang up from the disk. It was a woman, Japanese and about forty, with a uniform of the Central Defense and Protection department, Highway Enforcement Division. Next to her was a black rectangle. The rectangle listed the ten most used languages on the planet. Jun selected Japanese.

"Greetings, citizen or visitor," the image began. On the black rectangle, a transcription of the woman's words appeared as she spoke. "Your vehicle has been impounded by the CDP Highway Enforcement Division, under provision six of the Beautification and Maintenance of Japan's Rural Areas Act, as decreed by Queen Serenity on 1 May, 2156. Said vehicle in question has been taken to," and the voice changed slightly in modulation, "the CDP Vehicle Impound Area in Chichibu," and the voice resumed its old timber. "You may reclaim your vehicle at that facility between the hours of eight a.m. and six p.m. Monday through Saturday. Please bring this disk with you to the facility, as well as any necessary identification if you cannot or will not allow retinal scanning to establish identity and ownership. We apologize for any inconvenience."

With that, the hologram vanished, leaving Jun to stare into space, doing a very slow burn. Her hands clenched into fists and her lips thinned to a straight line.

"Well, I just happen to be going that direction," the tow vehicle driver said, unable to conceal his smile. "Need a ride?"

* * *

Usa peered in the gym, ready for anything, but not quite knowing what to expect. There in one corner of the gym, standing on a mat, was Hotaru. She was dressed in a black leotard with black leggings and was listening intently to a hologram of a Chinese man. Straining to hear, Usa found that the hologram was a beginner's Tai Chi instructional program.

"Took my advice, huh?" Usa said, entering casually. Immediately Hotaru stiffened and colored.

"Freeze program," Hotaru said. The holographic master froze in mid-sentence. "Well, you seem to like it and I need something besides the treadmill and stationary bike to build up my endurance."

"Hey, it's a good method. I really like it," Usa smiled. "And it's a good skill to have in our line of work."

"I'm not doing it to kick butt," Hotaru maintained.

"Well, Tai Chi is more keeping the other guy from kicking your butt," Usa corrected her. "That's not why I do it. That's just a side benefit."

"Good. I like it even better now."

"Aunt Ami know you're doing this?"

"No," Hotaru said, reflexively looking away.

"Maybe you ought to run it past her," Usa cautioned. "You're just out of cardiac intensive care. You don't want to do too much."

"Don't baby me, Usa," bristled Hotaru. "I'm tired of being sickly. I want to contribute."

"You do contribute!" Usa told her. "But you're also my bestie and I don't want to lose that! Besides, you can't contribute if you're flat on your back!"

"But what if she says 'no'?" Hotaru responded fearfully. "What if this heart condition means I can't contribute anymore? What if," and she choked up, "we lose you - - because I wasn't there?"

Usa dived in and hugged her best friend.

"And what if we lose you," Usa whispered, "because you try too hard?"

"I just," Hotaru began, frustration making words difficult, "want to get well. I've never been well. Never."

"Wish Aunt Ami would let me use the crystal," Usa said as they parted. "But she's right, the effort would probably do more harm than good to one of us - - or both of us."

"I don't want you to hurt yourself on my account," Hotaru warned her friend.

"Same here," Usa said, smiling sadly, "so how about we go see Aunt Ami about this. And if she says 'yes', then we can train together. I could use a partner."

"But what if she says 'no'?" Hotaru asked cautiously.

"We'll," Usa frowned thoughtfully, "think of something."

* * *

 **Jun's Diary: 8 August, 2997; 3 km southwest of Chichibu**

 _Goodbye, Chichibu! So glad to get out of there! After hassling through everything I had to hassle through to get my bike back, I still had to replace the coil! I didn't get out of that town until nine!_

 _The locals did try to help, pointing me to an inn nearby where I could stay. But I just got on and headed southwest. Staying in an inn wasn't why I came on this trip in the first place. I wanted to find out if the girl who lived in the jungle for ten years was still in here. So I'm camping out tonight! Weather's nice enough and there's a nice patch of reforested wilderness nearby. Thank you to the Japan National Ecological Ministry and thank you Queen Serenity._

The grove of trees and wild plants was far enough from the road that the whir of the energy convection propulsion in most magnetic hovercars was barely noticeable. In one end of the open space, Jun had pitched a tent made of durable polymer. Inside was her sleeping bag, though with the August heat still at peak level, she figured to sleep on top of it rather than in it.

Jun herself sat on a fallen tree, working the fire she'd built. The small space was surrounded by stones and Jun was careful not to have anything flammable close enough for an ember to hit. Her dinner that evening was heated pork with a salsa garnish, some pre-packaged bean curd (a concession to civilization she hated herself for making) and a bottle of water. While it was a far cry of some of the meals of tree lizards or small birds she'd had in the Amazon when she was eight, it was also a far cry from the Makoto Kino-supervised cuisine in the palace cafeteria. But it was filling and the warm meat felt good going down.

Gazing into the shadows behind the trees that surrounded her, Jun after a few moments could make out movement. Old instincts kicked back in and, rather than be afraid, Jun assessed that the movement was from rodents and birds who were native to these woodlands and who foraged for food at night.

"Guess I haven't lost that, at least," Jun mused.

After finishing eating, Jun pulled her PDA from her pack. Touching the screen, she brought up the romance novel she had been reading and silently read by fire light. Of course, she and her old guardian hadn't had PDA technology in the Amazon jungle, so that was another concession to modern life that she'd made. But they'd had books. A Portuguese translation of The Bible had been the first thing her guardian had given to her. He'd taught her to read using that book. Though he was Quechuan, his religious beliefs were similar to the strange blend of Catholicism and Andean Mythology that many in Colombia and Brasilia shared and the book was one of the few material things he owned. The book, an actual printed tome and very rare in the Thirtieth Century, became her school. She'd read it until she'd memorized it.

When she'd reached the Orphanage in Sao Paulo, Jun was fascinated to discover that there were other books as well. Though the electronic format threw her at first, the little jungle girl who looked like a boy carved a swath through the orphanage's library. At first the other kids made fun of her. When she ignored them, they pressed their attack physically, sensing weakness. After she punched a few, they backed off. Jun was still an outsider, but they left her alone.

And even today, reading was a favorite way to pass the time. The others might think it was odd for someone with the athletic prowess she possessed to prefer reading to physical pursuits. They might think it odder still that someone with her intellect consumed trashy romance novels like candy. But reading took her to other places and other times to meet other people - - and it took her back to her days when it was just her and her guardian.

"Gawd, I hope she doesn't fall for him!" Jun thought, coming to the end of a chapter. "He's such a creep!" She stifled a yawn. "Oh, well, better sack out. This will keep until tomorrow."

Dousing her fire and making sure it was out, Jun crawled into her tent, stripped off most of her clothes, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"This is rather late," Ami Mizuno commented. She was sitting in her office. Across her desk from her were Usa and Hotaru.

"We figured this was where we'd find you, Aunt Ami," Usa replied. "After all, it's only nine p.m."

"I just happened to be working late this evening," Ami bristled.

"This and every evening," Usa muttered.

"That is an exaggeration."

"I'm just quoting Aunt Makoto."

"Makoto has been known to exaggerate," Ami replied, "occasionally. Particularly when she's trying to make a point." Ami shook her head. "What can I help you with?"

"I wanted to start practicing Tai Chi, Mizuno-Sensei," Hotaru blurted out.

"And we wanted to run it past you," Usa added. "Personally, I think it's a great idea."

"And how long have you had your degree, Dr. Usa?" Ami asked pointedly.

"I don't," Usa said, startled. "But I could get one. I just have to put in the work."

"Yes, you probably could," Ami sighed. Turning to Hotaru, she asked, "I'm familiar with the physical and mental benefits of Tai Chi, Hotaru. I have no problem with you pursuing it. I am curious as to why the substitution. Were you getting bored with the stationary bike?"

Hotaru and Usa glanced at each other with concern.

"Um, I was wanting to practice it," Hotaru began, "in addition to my other cardio workouts."

"I see," Ami replied. She didn't seem enthusiastic.

"It'll be really great for her!" Usa chimed in. "And in addition to her building up physical strength and stamina, she'll learn some great self-defense moves! Believe me, Aunt Ami, it's really worth the time and effort!"

"Everything you say is true, Usa," Ami nodded. "My concern, Hotaru, is that you're attempting too much too soon. Over-taxing your circulatory system is not the road to recovery."

"But I'm feeling so much better!" pleaded Hotaru.

"And I'd like to keep it that way," Ami argued. "The current regime may seem too slow for your liking, but I think it best to build your endurance up with a slow, steady, consistent program that will maximize benefit and minimize risk."

Hotaru looked down, crushed. Usa clearly sympathized with her. So did Ami.

"Aunt Ami," Usa spoke up, "I think you're underestimating her. Sure, she's had setbacks and she's pushed herself too far. But maybe you're being overly cautious because of that."

"And perhaps, Dr. Usa, you're letting friendship cloud your judgment," Ami replied.

"I'm not," Usa shot back. "I think Hotaru can do it. Desire can overcome obstacles that skill and logic sometimes can't. She thinks she can do it, so I think she can do it."

Ami looked at the pair. Usa was in her righteous orator mode. Like her mother, the teen could supersede logical thought with simple faith. She could see Hotaru staring at her friend with an expression of loyalty and dedication.

"You two are going to do it whether I approve or not," Ami sighed.

"Aunt Ami, I resent that!" gasped Usa.

"But you didn't deny it," Ami replied. Usa got a guilty look. "All right, perhaps there's room here for compromise."

She got up and went into the infirmary. Usa and Hotaru waited, looking at each other and wondering what the doctor had in mind. Soon Ami returned with a small device on a wrist band.

"That's a portable vital sign monitor," Hotaru exclaimed.

"Yes it is," Ami nodded. She handed it to Hotaru. "I want you to wear that all the time. That will monitor your vital signs and narrow-cast them to the central medical computer here in the infirmary. I'll be able to periodically monitor your signs remotely. In addition, I'm going to program a set of parameters into your monitor. If your monitor registers that you've exceeded those parameters, it will give you a warning. At that point, you will cease all activity and rest for twenty minutes. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Sensei," Hotaru nodded.

"If you fail to do this, the monitor will notify me and I will shut you down," Ami told her. "And it will be for longer than twenty minutes. Are we clear on that?"

"Yes, Sensei."

"And you," Ami turned to Usa, "will not in any way attempt to disable or alter the programming of this monitor, because it will alert me to that, too."

"Aunt Ami, I would never . . .!" Usa protested.

Ami gave her a skeptical glare.

"All right," the girl surrendered.

"So now we'll see if you're doing too much or not," Ami said, turning back to Hotaru. "I honestly hope you're right. My main goal is and has always been to see that you get well."

"Thank you, Mizuno-Sensei," Hotaru replied gratefully.

"And if you need any pointers with the Tai Chi, feel free to consult . . ."

"Aunt Makoto?" Usa smiled knowingly.

"Actually I was going to suggest Minako," Ami answered. "She learned it for a movie role once. She was the one who got Makoto interested in it."

* * *

A sound woke Jun up. She glanced out of the tent. The shadows from the trees obscured the moonlight and the residual light from the distant road. Her first thought was her bike. She didn't want to lose it again and be stranded, forced to call the Crystal Palace for help. But it was unmolested on one side of the small camp.

The civilized part of her told her to go back to sleep, that it was a simple forest noise. The part that grew up in the Amazon Rainforest knew better. Survival didn't come from ignoring warning signs. Jun continued to stare out into the darkness.

There was another sound, that of polymer hitting the ground. Now she knew something was amiss. Her hand reached down and wrapped around the LED light she kept by her sleeping bag. With instinctive silence, Jun slid to a crouch. Focused the entire time on the sound, Jun eased her way out of the tent and came to full height. She held the LED up above her head. Activating it would pinpoint her location to whoever was here, but bathing the intruder in light would startle it and allow her the chance to act first.

The light activated. The area was bathed in light. Jun's breath caught in her throat.

Continued in Chapter 5


	5. The Woodland Godmother

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 5: "The Woodland Godmother"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

As she stood in front of her tent, deep in the midnight-shrouded woods, Jun again heard something or someone in her camp. She raised an LED hand lantern above her head. The light activated. The area was bathed in light. Jun's breath caught in her throat.

"A tanuki," Jun sighed in relief as the furry brown and black striped animal stared up at her, frozen by the light that suddenly illuminated it. When no attack came, the animal went back to what it was doing. "Hey, it's trying to get the food in my backpack!"

Jun took two steps forward and the tanuki froze. It seemed torn between fleeing for its own perceived safety and getting at the delicious food it smelled coming from the backpack. Hunger got the better of it and the creature attempted to pull the backpack back into the darkness.

"SCRAM!" bellowed Jun, charging forward.

That was enough to dissuade the tanuki. Abandoning the backpack, the animal fled for the concealment of the bushes as fast as it's little legs could manage. Jun knelt down next to the backpack and examined it. The fasteners were intact, so the contents were safe. But there were several puncture holes in the material of the backpack where the tanuki's teeth had pierced it.

Expelling a sigh of frustration, Jun picked up the backpack and carried it over to her tent. She chastised herself mentally for allowing this to happen. Years of experience in the Amazon had taught her to secure food so that animals and insects couldn't get at it.

"Maybe I am getting soft," Jun muttered, storing the backpack in the tent. "Good thing it was just a tanuki. What if it had been a bear?" She shook her head. "No, there aren't any bears this far south."

There was no sound; something more along the lines of a presence that those in the wild could sense caught her attention. But before Jun could turn to look, a voice rang out.

"What did you do to that poor tanuki?" it demanded.

Jun turned and found a woman standing in the little clearing, wielding a short tree branch like a club. She was about thirty, Japanese, with long black hair, and wore sandals, old worn shorts and a blouse tied at the bodice with the sleeves cuffed up to her upper arms.

"Who are you?" Jun marveled.

"We don't allow trespassing humans in these parts!" the woman declared. Then she charged Jun, raising the small club as if to attack her.

Instantly instincts born in the Amazon and honed in the Crystal Palace took over. As the club descended upon her, Jun moved up to catch the wrist holding it. Pivoting on her left foot, she turned and twisted the wrist, throwing her attacker off balance. Using the woman's momentum, Jun tossed her over the teen's hip. The stranger somersaulted once and landed on the ground, flat on her back. Air gushed out of her lungs and the small branch bounced from her hand and tumbled away. Jun stood over her, waiting for a new attack. The woman lay on the ground for a few seconds until she could collect her wind again.

"Wow!" the stranger exclaimed in awe. "You're good!"

Immediately the stranger popped up into a sitting position and spun around to face Jun. Light from the discarded LED device illuminated her and Jun could see the woman's expression. She seemed impressed more than angry. Though still suspicious, Jun was also confused.

"Is this your tent?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Jun replied warily.

"Were you camping out?"

"Uh huh."

"You're a woodland creature too!" the woman cried joyously. She popped up to her feet and Jun went into a defensive crouch. But the woman only extended her hand. "My name is Rika! I'm guardian of the woods and all of its creatures!"

"You're what?"

"Sorry about attacking you just now," Rika continued as if Jun hadn't spoken. "I thought you were menacing that poor tanuki. But now I can see you were just defending your turf." She stopped and stared at Jun as if seeing her for the first time. "I don't remember seeing you around here before. Did you just settle here?"

"What are you talking about?" Jun asked in confusion.

"Were you driven out? Of your previous habitat, I mean?" Rika persisted. "That happens a lot, even with the efforts of Queen Serenity. That's why people like me are necessary. So were you driven out?"

"Um, no," Jun shook her head. "I'm just passing through. I decided to take a trip and . . . why am I even telling you this?"

"Migrating, I see," Rika nodded confidently. "Well, this is a nice spot, if you do decide to put down roots." And she turned to leave.

"Wait!" Jun said suddenly. "Do you mean to say you live out in these woods?"

Rika nodded pleasantly.

"Do you have a cabin or . . .?"

"A guardian of the forest has no need for material things," Rika replied proudly. "I find shelter as the forest provides, just like I find food. And I carry out my mission to protect the woods and her animals." She leaned in. "I can see it now. You have had some of the same experiences I've had. But you were taken out of the wild and tamed. Did you escape?"

Jun stared for a moment. "Are you for real?"

"My corporeal form may be flesh and blood," Rika beamed with pride, "but my mission is real and my spirit unconquerable!" She leaned in again. "Don't worry. I won't let them get you."

And off she sprinted into the forest. Jun just stared after.

"Yeah," she said after a while.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess!" Palla-Palla exclaimed.

As usual, she was in the cafeteria for morning breakfast, barely visible behind a huge bowl of "Frosted Sugar Bombs". Ves was next to her, eating steak and potatoes for her breakfast. Ves usually ate meat and potatoes for breakfast. She also had meat and vegetables for dinner, and lunch if she could get it. Usa asked her about it once. Her only reply was to grunt "I like meat." Cere was eating a fruit salad. She normally ate fruit or some growth from a plant that wasn't the actual plant. Jun was conspicuous by her absence from the morning breakfast group, as was Hotaru.

"Morning, Palla-Palla," Usa replied and slid into her chair. Her breakfast consisted of rice, fish, toast heaped with peanut butter and grape jelly, and apple juice. "Anybody hear from Jun?"

"She called last night," Cere related. "Said she ran into some nature woman who lives in the forest southwest of Chichibu."

"Nature woman?" Usa asked.

"Apparently she lives in the forest and protects the animals," Cere smirked. "Jun didn't say if she was wearing a cape of leaves or not."

"We lived in the forest and Palla-Palla didn't get a cape," Palla-Palla said. Cere just gave her an acid glance and went back to her fruit salad.

"So Hotaru sick again?" Ves asked.

"I don't think so," Usa answered. "Although after yesterday's workout, she might be a little sore."

"From that sissy Tai Chi stuff?"

"Something isn't 'sissy' just because it doesn't teach you how to rip a person's beating heart out of their chest while they watch," Cere sighed.

"Ew," Palla-Palla added.

"Princess knows what I mean!" barked Ves.

"Ves, you have to remember that Hotaru's getting over a major illness," Usa cautioned. "She doesn't have the strength or stamina you or I have because of it. Plus she's never really done much besides basic Senshi training. That's going to leave you . . ."

Just then Hotaru bounced up. To everyone, she seemed perky and energetic, a change from her usual reticent manner. She slid into a seat next to Usa with her tray, which consisted of oatmeal with enough brown sugar and raisins to obscure the oatmeal, pineapple slices and some strips of meat that, upon closer examination from Usa, were turkey strips rather than actual bacon.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to shower," Hotaru excused herself.

"Where have you been?" Usa asked.

"Running," Hotaru shrugged. Everybody seemed surprised. "The track in the gym. I did laps there. Haruka-Papa said it was good cardio exercise." Her shoulders sagged. "I only got a mile though. Then my stupid meter went off. I probably could have done two."

"Well, that meter is there for a reason, Hotaru," Cere offered. "If it said you were doing too much, you were probably doing too much. But you look great!"

"Thanks!" the waif grinned. "I feel better, too! My thighs are a little sore, but overall I think I'm getting stronger! Are we on for Tai Chi today, Usa?"

"One p.m., just like always," Usa nodded. "Although if you're sore . . ."

"I'll be there," Hotaru cut in, grasping Usa's arm just a hair too insistently. "I'm looking forward to it."

"How did Miss Hotaru-Ma'am do? Did she play the Tea Chee good?" Palla-Palla asked. Ves bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"No, Usa beat my butt," Hotaru frowned.

"Well I have been at it longer than you," Usa offered.

"It's almost not fair," moaned Hotaru. "You're so tall!"

"And so padded," Cere grinned maliciously.

"Hey!" huffed Usa. Palla-Palla giggled.

* * *

Jun glanced out of her tent and found morning beginning to peak over the horizon. She smiled to herself. It was like the old days in the Amazon jungle, rising with the dawn almost on instinct. For a moment, she expected her old guardian to touch her on the shoulder so they could go out and hunt that morning's breakfast.

Dressing in the tent, Jun climbed out and surveyed her surroundings. Her bike was just where she'd left it, as was the trip line tied to the handlebar. It led to a sack of cans that would drop very loudly to the ground should anyone disturb the bike. But to her right and behind the tent, Jun found an unexpected sight.

"Hello again!" Rika the self-appointed forest guardian exclaimed. She waved with her left hand while her right held a long, thin stick. The stick was coated with a sticky sap from a tree and stuck to the sap were a dozen black ants. "Just having breakfast!"

"Are those ants?" gasped Jun.

"Sure are! They're good!" she leaned in. "And very nutritious."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me," Jun replied, reaching into the tent for her bag of supplies. "I'm from the Amazon. But God, it's been ten years since I've had ants."

"Do you want some?" Rika asked, offering the stick to her.

"That's OK. I've got my own food," Jun declined. "It's your catch. You enjoy it."

Rika slurped down the delicacy. Then she pointed the empty stick at Jun. "I knew you were of the forest. You had that look to you. But the Amazon?"

"Well, I was born in Colombia," Jun admitted. She sat cross-legged in front of the tent, and opened a package of instant noodles designed to hydrate when exposed to air. Her hand dived into the bag and came out with a small bottle of sriracha sauce, which she sprinkled onto the noodles. "But I spent a good part of my childhood in the Amazon basin. Mi Padre and I had a little hut west of Manaus, in the rain forest. It was a good life. I was happy."

"What happened?" Rika asked. "Trappers? Did they take you to a zoo? Take you to be studied? Or perform tricks for a gawking audience?"

"That's kind of weird," Jun told her. "Actually, Mi Padre died one day." Jun sighed. "He was very old. I was ten. And suddenly I was alone. I tried to stick it out. But it got so lonely."

She glanced insecurely at Rika, but found the woman's expression very sympathetic.

"So I got into this canoe Mi Padre and I had and I journeyed up to Manaus," Jun continued. "To see what it was like. Well I'd never been in a city before. And I found this place that had food in it." Jun looked down, embarrassed. "And I took some. I didn't understand that you had to pay for stuff like that. Well, the security forces caught me and took me to juvenile division. And when they found out I was an orphan and alone, they handed me over to Catholic Youth Services."

"And they made you do tricks?" Rika asked.

"Nobody made me do tricks!" huffed Jun. "What is it with you and that?"

"I'm just trying to understand," Rika replied blankly. "Is that how you ended up in Japan?"

"No," Jun sighed. "Catholic Youth Services interviewed me and found out I was ten and had never been in civilization before. And the branch in Manaus wasn't equipped to handle me." She grinned. "And I think they were afraid I would run away back to the Amazon the first chance I got." Rika winked and nodded. "So they shipped me to an orphanage in Sao Paulo."

"And they shipped you to Japan?"

"I met some other orphans who I became - - really close to," Jun said. "And together we decided to run away and find a better life than the orphanage offered." Jun darkened. "But we, well, fell in with the wrong crowd. And we did something terrible." Her eyes began to water. "But Queen Serenity forgave us and took us in. Gave us the opportunity to make something of ourselves that we could be proud of."

"Queen Serenity is a wonderful person," Rika nodded. Then, as if just realizing what Jun had said, her eyes bugged out. "You know Queen Serenity?"

"Yeah," Jun nodded modestly.

"Is she as nice as they say she is?"

"Words can't describe how nice she is," Jun smiled nostalgically.

"And yet," Rika observed, "you're not happy."

The words stunned Jun. Was she that transparent?

* * *

After breakfast, Usa and the others headed out into the corridor. With the school term on break, the girls were at loose ends. The Princess was about to ask about the plans of her friends when Hotaru suddenly turned right and scooted down the hall.

"Hotaru?" Usa asked.

"I've got physical therapy!" the girl called back. "Just some treadmill and stationary bike stuff! I'll catch up with you!"

"What is she doing, training for the Olympics?" Cere gaped.

"I'm beginning to wonder," Usa mumbled. "Well, if she goes too far, Aunt Ami will rein her in. There's not a better doctor in the world than Aunt Ami." She turned to the others. "So what do you all have planned?"

"I was going to spend the day with Hideki," Cere smiled.

"There's a shock," muttered Ves.

"Aw, did you want me to stay home and hold your hand?" Cere mocked. Ves responded with a sour look.

"Palla-Palla is going to draw pretty pictures," Palla-Palla announced. "Then she's going to watch Yumi-Chan, and then she has PKE class at two. She mustn't be late. What were you going to do, Princess?"

"Aunt Rei found some old scrolls on digital storage that talk about Tsukuyomi," the girl replied. "She and I are going to look them over and see if we can get some insight into him. Maybe it's nothing - - just old myths about the ancient concept of him. But I hope not. I'd really like to know more about him." She glanced at the others. "Ves?"

"Soccer practice," the girl shrugged. "The palace team is really beginning to come together. Then maybe I'll catch a holographic show."

"Ves-Ves could use the time to study and get her grades up," Palla-Palla suggested.

"Yeah, and I could climb to the top of the palace and jump off, too," Ves replied sarcastically. "Probably accomplish the same. Later." And she walked off. Palla-Palla turned and looked at Cere. Cere just rolled her eyes.

In the physical therapy wing of the gym, Hotaru was on a treadmill running at a mild and steady pace. She wore a loose fitting shirt and running shorts that she always felt uncomfortable in because they bared her legs. She only wore them because both her physical therapist and her Haruka-Papa recommended them.

"How are you feeling?" Maya Shinobi, her physical therapist, asked. Maya was forty-four, squat and sturdy, with short black hair and an eternally ebullient face. She was subbing for Kaname Onijiro, who was off that day.

"I'm fine," Hotaru wheezed a reply. Maya looked up from her sensor array. The breathlessness of Hotaru's reply wasn't necessarily a concern, as she had been exerting for a while. But something just didn't feel right to the experienced physical therapist.

"You sure?" Maya asked. "We can do a cool down."

"No, I want to keep going," Hotaru panted. Sweat covered her face. Her skin was a little red, but nothing that set off alarms. And the monitor Hotaru was wearing hadn't signaled.

Maya glanced back at the holographic vital statistics telemetry being broadcast in front of her by the treadmill's computer controls. Heart rate, pulse and respiration were all within acceptable levels. Maya decided to let her patient have her way. Perhaps she was just being paranoid, given Hotaru's medical history.

A loud thud caught Maya's attention. She looked up and found Hotaru crumpled into a fetal position at the base of the treadmill, her face twisted in pain. As she moved to aid the girl, Maya pressed an alarm she kept in her pocket, signaling for a medical team.

Continued in Chapter 6


	6. What Are You Afraid Of?

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 6: "What Are You Afraid Of?"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

"And yet," Rika observed, "you're not happy."

"What makes you say that?" Jun replied quickly. "Why wouldn't I be happy? Japan is great!"

"But you miss the Amazon, right?"

"No," Jun said. "Mi Padre was in the Amazon. That's why it was home. When he - - passed - - it was just a familiar jungle. Yeah, I admit that I'm still getting used to some of the customs of Japan even now. But my family is here. They're not blood, but they're my family just the same."

Suddenly seized by a strange urgency, Jun downed the rest of her breakfast.

"I don't even know why I'm talking about this," she muttered, packing up her discarded food packets into a bag that she would drop off in a recycling bin. "I've got places to go and things to see."

"You don't have to go," Rika offered. "This is a beautiful area. It's just perfect for a refugee like yourself."

"I'm not a refugee!" Jun snapped. "I'm not running from anything! I can go back to the Crystal Palace anytime I want to!"

"OK," Rika shrugged. Then she looked up at a tree lark perched on the overhead branch of an tree. The bird warbled a few notes. Rika looked back and pointed at the bird with a grin. "He's not convinced though."

"The bird?"

"Don't be prejudiced," Rika huffed.

"Right." Jun began to fold up her tent.

"I can protect you from whatever you're running from," Rika persisted.

"I'm not running from anyone," Jun replied. "And I can protect myself. You found that out."

"I did?" Rika asked. Jun looked at her funny again.

"What is your story?" Jun asked. "Why are you out here running around protecting the forest animals and living like some wild creature?"

"I was chosen," Rika said proudly. "The gods of the woods united and came to me one night and gave me my life's mission. And if all the gods unite to tell you to do something, you really should do it."

"Uh huh."

"It was hard at first," she continued. "There really isn't a course taught at public high schools on how to live life in the wild. Sometimes I would wonder if I'd taken on too big a mission. But then I'd get a sign from one of the gods and it would renew my spirit. Now I have no thoughts about ever going back to my old life."

"And what was your old life?"

"It's gone now," Rika replied, growing solemn. "There's no point in talking about it." She locked eyes with Jun again. "Just like The Amazon is just another jungle without your mentor, that life is just another time to me now. I don't miss it enough to go back."

She was about to question Rika further when the whine of a magnetic wave cycle came into range. Rika stared in its direction for a moment, then bolted into the concealing forest. Startled, Jun summoned her henshin stick as the whine grew louder and closer.

* * *

"I'm afraid you've ruptured your Achilles tendon," Ami said.

She was in the gym, her hands clasped around Hotaru's left ankle. Her medical handheld was broadcasting a holographic scan of the same ankle. Hotaru could see the same hologram from the reverse angle. But she was looking at the floor. Her physical therapist looked on sympathetically.

"I was afraid of that," Hotaru whispered.

"I thought something wasn't right, Dr. Mizuno," Maya Shinobi spoke up. The woman was clearly distraught that something like this had happened to her patient on her watch. "I should have stopped the session and done a bio-scan."

"Hindsight is a tool best used to modify future behavior rather than attempt to modify the past, Shinobi-San," Ami told her gently. "Although in the future, if a patient is wearing an activity monitor, a quick download of its records will help make proper choices in treatment." She turned back to Hotaru. "You went running this morning, didn't you?"

"Before breakfast," Hotaru mumbled.

"She never told me," Maya said.

"I assumed as much," Ami sighed.

"I'm sorry," Hotaru whimpered. "I just want to get stronger!"

"And you will," Ami told her. "But it won't happen overnight."

"I'm not sure it will ever happen."

"Hotaru, this didn't happen because you're weak and sickly, as you assume. This happened because the body only has so much endurance, particularly after a lengthy or traumatic illness. As a medical student, you should know that. Endurance must be built up methodically to ensure safety. If you push muscles or ligaments or tendons past their breaking point, logically they must break." She reached out and touched the girl's shoulder. "Fortunately a carefully planned exercise regime can alter that breaking point in order to allow the body to perform at higher levels."

Hotaru didn't answer.

"The disease that affected you in your earlier years is gone, Hotaru," Ami persisted. "It was eradicated when Sailor Moon recreated your body in the battle with Pharaoh 90. It only exists in your mind. This situation wasn't created by any physical inadequacy. It was created by impatience."

"Yes, Ma'am," Hotaru murmured.

"The damage can be repaired with nano-surgery, can't it Dr. Mizuno?" Maya asked, still dripping with concern.

"Yes, the damage is much more simple to repair than if it had been a complete tear," Ami nodded. "I'll notify the surgery to prepare."

"Doesn't that procedure hurt?" Hotaru grimaced.

"Yes, it does," Ami replied. "A lot, though only for a few hours after the procedure. What's also going to hurt you is that you're going to have to walk in a magnetic cast for two weeks."

Hotaru's grimace deepened.

"And your physical therapy is back to square one," Ami added. Hotaru looked like she was about to cry. "Shinobi-San will prepare a new exercise program to start two weeks from now. And she'll include sessions so you can join Usa in Tai Chi." The girl brightened. "But no other extra-curricular exertion, Hotaru. I can't stress enough how important that is."

"Yes, Ma'am. I understand," Hotaru nodded.

"But you don't like it," Ami smiled maternally. "Hotaru, if you have patience and follow this program and all associated instructions, I guarantee that you will reach your goal."

Just then, a robot wheelchair entered the gym. Its sensors directed the chair to where the three women were, then stopped inches from them. Ami and Maya bent in.

"Come on, Hotaru," Ami said. "Let's get you to surgery."

* * *

Jun waited for the thing making the whine to come into view. She was certain it was the propulsion system of a single passenger bike, modified beyond her own bike for more power. But Rika's reaction had confused her. Was it signaling some danger? Were there bike-riding predators in this area that Crystal Tokyo knew nothing about. Jun gripped her henshin stick tighter, waiting to see what was coming, ready to act.

"Psst!" she heard behind her. Jun turned and saw Rika peeking out of the brush. "Run! They'll get you! Run!"

"Who'll get me?" Jun demanded. "Who is it?"

But Rika apparently could risk staying no longer. She disappeared back into the forest. Jun turned back to the road. The sound of the bike was almost upon her. The bike appeared on the road from behind some trees on the berm.

It was a CDP Highway Enforcement Officer. He pulled up to within ten feet of Jun and dismounted, leaving his hovering bike idling. The man was five foot nine and very burly, his eyes obscured by the tinted visor on his helmet. The CDP uniform fit snugly on him and his boots had a crisp shine.

"Good morning," the officer said. "Having any trouble?"

"Uh, no," Jun replied. He seemed like every other CDP officer she'd met. So why was Rika so scared? "I was just passing through Chichibu and I stopped here for the night."

"They have inns in Chichibu," the officer observed.

"I wanted to camp out," Jun said. "That's OK, isn't it?"

"Just as long as you clean up after yourself," the officer responded. "Wouldn't want to violate the Beautification and Maintenance of Japan's Rural Areas Act."

"Nooo, wouldn't want to do that," Jun said with an eerie feeling of deja vu.

"Would you have any objection to submitting to a fingerprint scan," the officer ventured, "to establish your identity?"

"He must figure I'm some fugitive or something," thought Jun. Despite the visor, she could tell there was some suspicion in his demeanor. Given her history, suspicion in someone else was easy to spot. "No problem, officer," Jun said.

He produced a small black box with a clear square in the center. Jun pressed her right index finger onto the screen, activating the scan. A beam of light enveloped the finger for a second. Withdrawing it, the officer brought up the scanner interface attached to his right wrist. Moments later Jun's identity was displayed.

"You're with the palace?" he exclaimed, startled. "What are you doing out here? Is there trouble?"

"No," Jun smiled to reassure him. "I'm just on vacation."

"I see," the officer replied, nodding to her. His demeanor was strikingly different now that he knew she was a Senshi attached to Princess Usagi. "Well, enjoy your vacation. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nope," Jun smiled. "Got it under control."

"Then I'll let you get back to it," he nodded. The officer turned to his hovering bike, then stopped and turned back. "Um, by any chance, have you seen a woman wandering around this area?"

That was a curious question and Jun couldn't help but stare for a moment.

* * *

Usa almost flew into the Infirmary. She stopped only long enough for the desk nurse to direct her, then sped to Hotaru's room. Hotaru was in bed, her foot wrapped in a magnetic boot and suspended through repellent magnetic waves twelve inches above the bed. Haruka was on one side of the bed while Michiru was on the other. Hotaru was between them, looking like her entire world had crashed down in flames around her. She looked up and, upon seeing her friend, brightened ever so slightly.

"Hi, Usa," the girl moaned. "Back in my second home."

"What happened?" howled the pink princess.

"My body gave out," Hotaru replied. "What else?"

Seeing she wasn't going to get an explanation from Hotaru, and that her guardians were unable to give a good answer, Usa went over to the head of the bed. Leaning past Michiru, she tapped the bedpost and called up a holographic chart of Hotaru's condition. When the chart initially refused to come up, the teen scowled and tapped in a few key sequences, hacking into the medical system and overriding the Infirmary Security Protocol. The chart popped up, much to the surprise of Haruka and Michiru.

"What's it say?" Haruka asked. "Ami only gave us a general rundown. Is it a complete tear?"

"No, it's only a partial tear," Usa replied, studying the holographic chart. "At least that's what it looks like. I'm not a doctor . . ."

"It's only partial," Hotaru said, her voice dripping with defeat. "I guess I was lucky."

"Hotaru," Michiru began, her hand on the girl's shoulder, "this is not a defeat. This is just a setback. And Ami said it's a setback because you weren't listening to her."

"Is that right?" Usa gasped. Hotaru avoided her gaze.

"I just wanted to get stronger," Hotaru whispered. "To stop being a liability . . ."

"Girl," Usa scowled. "The only time you're a liability is when you get it in your head that you're a liability. You're the backbone of the team. You're the one I depend on the most."

"You can't depend on me if I'm always sick," Hotaru whimpered.

"And maybe you're always sick because you try too hard to do too much," Usa argued. "Why are you here now?"

Hotaru didn't answer.

"Because you tried to do too much," Haruka answered for her. "Listen to the voice of experience here. Training and practice is essential, but it's also stress. Too much stress and you break down. Doesn't matter if it's a racing machine or a human body. You can only push it so far. So you have to be smart about it. I push my body too far in a race, I come up lame. I push my vehicle too far and it breaks down." She patted Hotaru on the arm. "It's not because my vehicle is weak. It's because it has limits. You respect those limits and you can know when to push and when to throttle back, so you can get the most out of your vehicle."

"That's why Haruka was a champion, Hotaru," Michiru smiled maternally. "She knew when to push and when to play it safe."

"And I didn't do it by myself," Haruka added. "I had coaches and a pit crew and I listened to what they said, because they wanted me to win just as much as I did." She smirked. "Well, almost as much."

"Hotaru," Usa said, "hurting yourself being a Senshi is bad, but it comes with the territory. But hurting yourself trying to be something you're not or trying to do something you can't do - - well, that's when you hurt the team."

Hotaru stared at her friend like she'd been slapped.

"The next time we have to go out on a mission, I want you by my side," Usa continued. "And I can't have that if you're laid up because you thought that you're not as good as you really are."

Hotaru avoided everyone's eyes again, her body seemingly crushed with shame. "I promise," she sighed, "I won't overdo things again. I'll listen to what Mizuno-Sensei tells me."

"Knew I could count on you," Usa nodded.

* * *

"Uh, no," Jun told the CDP officer. "I don't know her. What's she done?"

"She's not wanted for any sort of offense," the officer explained. "She's sort of a missing person."

He pressed a few keys on his wrist computer. A holographic picture of Rika appeared over the wrist computer. The picture was of Rika. She was younger and looked a lot more civilized, but there was little doubt it was Rika.

"Missing? In this day and age?" Jun replied skeptically.

"Her name is Rika Misuhishi," the officer continued. "She's been diagnosed with severe delusional personality disorder. At one time, she had been an intern at the Shiba-Kanto Environmental Complex near Yokohama. Then she suffered some personal tragedies and slipped into this delusional state."

"Has she hurt anyone? Is she violent?" Jun asked.

"There have been some instances of attacks on tourists and campers in the forests around this area," the officer replied. "A woman matching Misuhishi-San's description has attacked several different groups, yelling about protecting the animals and often brandishing a stick. No record of her actually injuring anyone. She just seems to wave the stick around and create a lot of commotion to scare the people off."

"I see," Jun nodded.

"The local government is more concerned about her own welfare than her harming anyone else," the officer continued. "She's been missing for about ten years and every time we begin to write her off as having died in the elements, a new report shows up to tell us she's alive." He shook his head with a grudging smile. "But she sure is slippery."

"What will happen to her if you do catch her?"

"Turn her over to the National Mental Health Ministry," the officer answered. "The woman's sick and that's what they're for. They have the best chance to cure her. And if they can't, they can at least make her comfortable. Certainly more comfortable than she probably is out here."

Jun nodded thoughtfully. When no more questions came from her, the CDP officer mounted his hovering bike and continued on patrolling the road from Chichibu.

"You're a Senshi?"

Jun turned and found Rika standing at the edge of the brush. The woman would come no farther, eyeing Jun as if anticipating an attack.

"Yeah," Jun replied. "Are you Rika Misuhishi?"

Rika stared at her.

"I was," she replied, "once. That was before I was given my mission by the gods."

"Maybe you should," Jun began. She took a step forward.

And Rika disappeared into the brush.

Continued in Chapter 7


	7. Finding A New Path

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 7: "Finding A New Path"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

With that, before Jun could even finish, Rika disappeared back into the bush. Much the way a spooked animal would dive back into the bush for concealment and protection. For a moment, Jun considered pursuing her. Then she shrugged.

"All right!" she called out. "I was just trying to help! But it's your life! If you want to live it like an animal, I guess it's not up to me to say different!" She turned and began gathering up her things. "After all, the social workers in Manaus thought they were helping, too."

Jun climbed astride her hover bike. She was about to engage the superconductor and speed away. But she stopped and looked back at the section of bush where Rika had disappeared.

"The officer said you needed mental help," Jun said to the bush. "I don't know your story, so I don't know if he's right or not. I didn't think I needed help back in Manaus. And it's not like Quatro Pai was a big step up from living in the jungle. But I guess I did get some good out of it. I learned about society and civilization." She smiled. "And I met Cere and Ves and Palla-Palla. Maybe it can do you some good, too. I don't know."

There was no response.

"OK," Jun sighed. "Well, bye. Meeting you was - - an experience."

"Who are you talking to?"

Jun whirled around. Rika was perched on a tree stump behind her, near the road. She stared at the Amazon curiously.

"How?" sputtered Jun. Then she expelled a huge sigh. "I must be slipping. No way you could have done that to me in the old days."

"That's what happens when you become domesticated," Rika replied. She kept her distance, but seemed relaxed. "Is that where it happened? Quatro Pai?"

"That CDP officer said you'd suffered a tragedy," Jun countered. "That it made you delusional. That you needed mental help."

"People always call someone crazy when they don't conform to the norms," Rika argued. "They don't understand because they've never been spoken to by the gods. Just like they didn't understand you because you grew up in a place with only one rule: don't get eaten."

"It's not the same," Jun shook her head. "I didn't understand how to function in the city. They taught me."

"They domesticated you," Rika countered. "They taught you that if you stay close at hand and don't bite them, they'll give you three meals a day."

Jun glowered at the woman.

"It's OK. I understand," Rika continued. "It's a choice we're all faced with in our lives. Do we stop being who we are for the prospect of something better."

"Is that what you did?" Jun asked. "Rika, what happened? I mean before 'the gods spoke to you' and gave you this mission. What happened?"

Rika stared at her and for a moment Jun thought the woman was actually going to tell her everything.

"I don't know," she finally said, upbeat and confident. "The gods must have wiped away my previous life." Jun looked down in frustration. She was about to start up her bike. "So did you really try to destroy the world?"

That snapped Jun's head back up and she stared at the woman perched innocently on the tree stump.

* * *

"Firefly, I am SO sorry!"

Hotaru rolled her eyes to the ceiling. It had been that way ever since Usa had left. As she feared, Haruka wore a cloak of guilt like a penitent sinner.

"Haruka," Michiru sighed. "I have TOLD you that this isn't your fault!"

"IT IS MY FAULT!" the blonde barked. "I'm the one who talked up running to her! I'm the one who talked about learning to ignore your body and push for that little extra! I'm the one who told her she could be a champion if she fought through the pain!"

"I believe you also told her about stretching and cool down," Michiru reminded her. "Sorry if that interferes with your guilt trip."

Ignoring her mate, Haruka leaned over to Hotaru. She grasped the teen's hand and began stroking the teen's forehead with her other hand.

"Papa," sighed Hotaru. "Mizuno-Sensei said the procedure went perfectly. I'm going to be all right!" She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry for worrying you both."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry!" Haruka maintained. "But I'm going to make it up to you, Firefly! I swear it! Somehow I'm going to make it up to you!"

"Oh, you can be such a drama queen sometimes," Michiru muttered. "Ami said that nanobots repaired the tendon?"

"Yes," Hotaru nodded. While the idea seemed to surprise and perplex Michiru, Hotaru seemed to grasp it easily. Part of the benefit of being a medical student. "The tendon was reattached to the heel bone with a bio-adhesive. As soon as the adhesive has sufficiently hardened, I'll start rehab."

"Well, I'll take her and your word for it, Hotaru," Michiru smiled. "I certainly trust Ami and you seem to know more about the procedure than I do." She grew serious. "You know why you're here, don't you?"

"Because she listened to me," Haruka muttered.

"Haruka, hush!"

"Yes," Hotaru sighed. "I did too much too fast. I wish I could just wish myself into a stronger body!"

Michiru tensed.

"But we both know that's not the way, either," Hotaru added. They both recalled the time her subconscious had taken an idle wish too far. "I guess I'll have to do it the hard way."

"How about I coach you?" Haruka proposed. "I know you're here now because you listened to me, but I can make it up to you! I can turn you into a lean, fast machine! Promise, Firefly!"

"Could you?"

"I was a top runner!" she boasted. "And I had to keep myself fit to handle everything I've ever raced over the centuries!" She patted her stomach proudly. "I can still take a punch in the gut from anybody!"

"If that's you idea of fun," Michiru added cynically. "Haruka, maybe Hotaru would feel a little too much - - pressure - - trying to live up to your example."

"No, it'd be great!" Hotaru exclaimed. "I'm already training with Usa. Haruka-Papa can fill the time when she's busy!"

"You're not planning on doing too much again, are you?" Michiru asked.

"Strict schedule," Haruka maintained. "Diet, stretching, muscle-specific exercise; Michiru, I'll have her in competitive shape in six months tops! And it'll be the RIGHT way!"

Hotaru looked expectantly at Michiru.

"We should probably clear this with Ami and the physical therapist first," Michiru advised. "But I suppose Ami will agree once Hotaru has finished her prescribed physical therapy."

"Better be ready to work," Haruka advised her charge. "There's going to be times when you're going to wish you'd never agreed to this. But you stick and it'll be worth it."

"I'll do anything if it makes me stronger," Hotaru exclaimed.

* * *

Jun sat straddling her hover bike. Rika remained crouched on the stump, waiting an answer to her question that Jun really didn't want to give. Jun thought for a moment, then reached for the ignition button.

"I understand," Rika offered.

"How?" Jun replied, glancing sharply at her. "How could you understand?"

"Lots of animals have been captured and trained to attack," Rika said simply. "All for the profit and glory of their . . ."

"Nobody captured me," Jun frowned. "Nobody brainwashed me. Nobody trained me and made me their attack dog against my will. I chose to do it, because I let my greed get the better of me. I was young and stupid and I thought things didn't have to come with a cost attached to them. And I found out differently." She looked away. "And I've been trying to make up for it ever since."

"So that's why you're so unhappy," Rika observed.

"Yeah, that's why I'm so unhappy," Jun parroted with growing frustration. "I bust my tail day in and day out, trying to be 'the good girl', trying to be someone people can be proud of, trying to be someone that doesn't get suspicious looks from people who only know my reputation. And what does it get me?"

"Then stop pretending to be someone you're not," Rika replied. "See that?" She pointed and Jun caught sight of a fox peering suspiciously at them - - at her, really - - from a bush. "That fox is a fox. It could pretend it was a dog so farmers wouldn't chase it and hunters wouldn't trap it. But it wouldn't be happy. It's only happy being a fox."

"This is a little more complicated than that," Jun bristled.

"Why? Foxes do bad things. That's why farmers chase them. The difference is, foxes don't feel guilty about it. They're just following their nature. They're not evil, even if they do bad. Just like they're not saints if they do good. They are what they are. If they commit evil, it's only because their nature told them it was the only way for them to survive."

"Animals don't know the difference between right and wrong," countered Jun. "I do. What I did was wrong, and I did it anyway!"

"So you try to keep from doing evil by denying who you are and assuming a false identity," Rika summarized. "How has that worked?"

Jun exhaled in frustration.

"Do you want the advice of someone who the gods have spoken to?" Rika asked. "Becoming someone else, putting up this mask of perfection and innocence, just seems like an admission that you'll slide back into evil if you be yourself. You have the ability to judge whether something you do is good or bad. You just don't trust yourself to make the correct choice. So you pretend to be someone who would never be in the position to make such a choice. My advice is to accept what your true nature is and trust yourself not to make bad choices. And if you do, accept what comes. Otherwise, you're going to remain unhappy."

"Were you a counselor before this?" Jun asked. The words made some sense, but the source couldn't possibly be credible.

"Maybe. I don't know," Rika shrugged. Then she smiled. "Maybe it's just the gods talking through me."

"You make it sound so simple," Jun huffed, putting her head in her hands, her elbows resting on the handlebars of the bike. "But I guess that is why I went on this trip: to find out who I am and stop play acting."

She looked up and Rika was gone. Startled, Jun looked around. Using the senses she'd honed living in the Amazon rainforest for six years, Jun searched for some sign of the woman. But it was as if she had evaporated like mist.

"Or she was never there to begin with," Jun mumbled. Then she shook her head. "No, that's crazy! And I'm not that far gone."

She called Rika's name once. When there was no answer, Jun heaved a sigh. She donned her helmet, started her bike and rode off toward Koshu.

 **Jun's Diary: 9 August, 2997, on the outskirts of Koshu**

 _Got to Koshu in plenty of time. Thought about continuing on, but I decided to stay here for the night. Still can't help thinking about Rika. Was I right to leave her like that? Or would trying to force her to let me help her have been wrong?_

"Well I can see your dilemma," Cere said. She was on a visual com-link with Jun. It was evening and she'd just come from spending the day with her Hideki. "Does a woman running around the forest pretending she's guardian of nature know what she's talking about, even if what she said makes some sense?"

"You think she makes sense?" Jun asked, amazed.

"Well, not the part about her channeling the gods. That's so out there that she's obviously got problems. But," and Cere paused, reflexively wiping at her forehead, "the other part - - about wearing a mask; pretending to be someone else."

"I'm just trying to be someone who's trustworthy and respectable," Jun defended herself. "You know, make up for what we tried to do."

"Yeah, I get that. Everybody gets that - - even Palla-Palla probably gets that. But," and Cere hesitated again. "Forget it."

"What?"

"Never mind. Just enjoy your trip."

"What were you going to say?"

"No, it wasn't . . ."

"SAY IT!"

Cere stared at her for a moment, startled by the outburst. Then she began chuckling, covering her mouth with her hand. For her part, Jun was surprised the frustration had gotten to her so easily.

"That sounds familiar," Cere smirked. "I remember the first time we met, at Quatro Pai. You were more animal than person."

"I still wasn't used to civilization," Jun scowled with embarrassment. "There were so many rules, so many things you had to remember. It got so frustrating."

"Yeah. If Palla-Palla hadn't held us together, I doubt we would have stayed friends. As if she saw what we were going to become one day."

"She probably did," snorted Jun.

"She probably did," Cere agreed. "And then when Ves got assigned there, I wondered if you two were going to kill each other or everybody else in the orphanage." Cere swallowed. "You've come so far, Jun. Given where you began, no one would ever guess your origins by being around you now."

"But," Jun prodded.

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" bristled Cere. "You're going to make me say it, then your feelings will be hurt and I'll be the bad guy - - AGAIN!" She folded her arms over her chest. "OK, fine! The woodland creature was right! You do try too hard to be little miss goody-goody! And," and she stopped, regret clear on her face, "the old Jun is gone. The adventurous one. The one who was spontaneous and didn't worry about whether society would approve of her. And, well, I think we miss her sometimes." Her face swelled with anger. "Although not the time you used my brand new top to clean that - - thing you were building!"

Jun snorted a laugh. "That was a superconductor engine. I built that from scratch!" A realization came. "I thought you hated me when I acted like that."

"I did, and I do," Cere replied haughtily. Then she softened. "But I don't. And the way you are now isn't you. I guess I would like to see some of the old Jun." She held her two fingers barely apart. "Maybe this much. We all get that you're trying to make up for the old days. But sometimes you're too perfect. Makes me feel like I'm slacking. And sometimes you're just boring and predictable."

"Wow," Jun said softly. "I didn't realize."

"So," Cere began shyly, "when are you coming home?"

"I don't know. I have to think about this." Jun brightened. "And I haven't even seen Kobe yet! Not to mention the south prefectures like Minami-Satsuma! I want to go cliff diving!"

"Sounds perfectly dreadful," Cere smirked. "Maybe you'll get lucky and meet a guy and get your mind off of trying to accidentally cripple yourself."

"Yeah," Jun chuckled. "Well if I do, he's going to have to keep up. Talk to you again, Cere."

Cere closed the channel. She sat in the chair, smiling to herself. Now that was more like the old Jun.

* * *

With evening setting, Jun pulled her hover bike into the parking garage of an inn just outside the southwest city limits of Koshu. Originally she had planned to camp out again, as she had outside of Chichibu. Then she saw the inn and the impulse of soaking in a nice hot tub and then curling up in a warm, soft bed and sleeping until noon got the better of her. So she changed plans and pulled in to get a room for the night. After all, she had originally intended to head west toward Niigata and Hiroshima until the lure of Minami-Satsuma got the better of her.

She was just being spontaneous. And in a way it felt good, because it was what she wanted and not what she thought everyone else wanted.

The desk clerk looked her over. He was polite in that Japanese manner that she'd noticed living there now, but she could see he was dubious as to her being the kind of clientele that could afford the inn or had enough social graces to appreciate the inn. His tune changed when her financial card went through and a note came up on the computer telling the clerk that this guest was entitled to special treatment above the usual level. It didn't say why. The clerk didn't recognize the name Jun left. As she headed for her room, Jun felt the clerk staring at her. But this was different than the suspicious stares she was used to.

In the morning she was bathed, refreshed and ready to eat. Jun felt slightly conspicuous dining in a slightly upscale inn restaurant in hiking shorts and boots, but she hadn't packed anything else. Forcing herself not to retreat, Jun sat down and began to enjoy a very good meal.

Then everything else was forgotten. Across the room, at the restaurant bar, sat one of the most gorgeous male creatures Jun could ever remember seeing. Her first thought was to stare. She did that until he glanced over at her. Quickly Jun looked away. Just as quickly, she cursed herself for looking away. Using as much will power as she could muster, Jun looked back. But he wasn't at the bar any longer.

He was approaching. And he was looking right at her.

Continued in Chapter 8


	8. Too Good To Be True

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 8: "Too Good To Be True"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

Jun's first impulse was to bolt. Her second impulse was to stay where she was. The one she followed was the one that told her to stay put, stand her ground and see what this very handsome man wanted. He was tall for a Japanese but about average height to someone like her from the South American jungles. Of course, being short herself, just about anyone was tall. He had thick black hair and soft copper eyes and a mouth that smiled easily. His body was solidly built and draped in the latest fashions. This told her he had a bit of an ego, but the entire package spoke of confidence and an assurance in his place in life.

"Do you mind if I sit down here?" he asked. She nodded him to sit, but he was already sliding into the chair. "Tourist?"

"What makes you say that?" Jun asked, praying that her voice didn't quaver.

"You're clearly not Japanese," he smiled. "And the way you're dressed suggests that you're hiking in the mountains." His head cocked. "Am I right?"

"And why would I tell my secrets to a perfect stranger?" Jun asked, though there was no edge to the question.

"Forgive me. I'm Tendo Nakahara," he smiled again. He smiled easily. "And you?"

"Jun," she replied. "Actually I live in Crystal Tokyo. I'm just doing some sight-seeing on my way to Minami-Satsuma."

"That's beautiful country," he nodded. "How soon were you planning to leave?"

"Why?"

"Well, I was hoping I could spend a little time with you," he replied. "It's not often I get to see someone as beautiful and as exotic as you." He tilted his head again. "Is the green hair dyed?"

"No, it's genetic," Jun said self-consciously, smoothing her hair with her hand. She had given up her traditional Amazon headdress style for utility's sake during the trip and it flowed loosely below her shoulders. "I was caught in the chemical waste accident in Brasilia when I was a kid. I'm originally from Brasilia. Well, Colombia, actually, but I lived mostly in," and she realized she was rambling, "Brasilia."

Tendo's hand covered hers.

"I think it looks quite becoming," he said. "It adds to your exotic qualities. You look like a wild, free-spirited creature from the Amazon. It's quite eye-catching."

"I do?" Jun asked. She felt herself becoming entranced by this man.

"Do you have to go soon?" he asked. "If you can stay, I'd like to show you the sights of Koshu. I confess, they pale in comparison to Minami-Satsuma, but perhaps with the right company they can be just as enchanting."

The good girl Jun would have demurred, despite the trip-hammer beating of her heart and the sudden warmth she was feeling below her belt. The impulsive Jun of the jungle would accept, feeling that she would handle anything that went awry in order to gain a chance at excitement.

"I shouldn't," Jun murmured. "I barely know you."

"Then think of this as a chance to find out more about me as well as Koshu," he countered. Jun looked at him.

"OK," she grinned.

* * *

"I apologize, Haruka," Ami said, sitting at her desk in the infirmary. "It's been a very busy morning. I understand you wish to talk about Hotaru. Let me put your mind at ease. She came through the surgery in excellent condition and everything looks good for a full recovery."

"Good to hear," Haruka replied, exhaling a held breath. "But that's not why I wanted to meet with you."

"Oh?" Ami asked, intrigued.

"Yeah," Haruka began, then stopped. "Firefly wants to get back to working out as soon as she can, and, well, I kind of volunteered to be her coach. That's all right, isn't it? I'm not putting down your staff."

"Well, I would like to have an idea of what you plan to do to help her train," Ami ventured. "But if Hotaru is more comfortable training with you, I don't see a problem with it."

"Great!" Haruka grinned. "I was going to put her through some of the same stuff I did to train for sprinting and distance running. You know, lots of stretching, lots of cardio, maybe some mild weight training - - just to tone her. Don't want to turn her into a bodybuilder."

"That sounds fine," Ami nodded. "Once our physical therapist is done rehabilitating her Achilles injury, you can take over. Just remember not to let her overdo it. Hotaru is proving to be very single-minded about that. You're going to have to tell her to stop when necessary and mean it."

"Yeah, it'll be tough when she gets that pleading tone in her voice," Haruka grinned. "But I can do it."

"Fine," Ami smiled. "I can expect a written outline of your training regime in a few days then?"

"What, you mean," Haruka asked, "a list or something?"

"Yes. I have to know what you intend to have her do in order to assess each individual exercise and its effect on her condition and her recovery."

"Oh."

"Is that a problem?" Ami asked.

"Uh, no. No, I guess not." Haruka rose from her chair. "Hope you don't mind the spelling errors."

"I'll try to overlook them," Ami replied, not quite able to smother the grin on her face.

* * *

Quickly paying for her meal, Jun allowed herself to be escorted out to the front terrace by her new acquaintance. As they walked, she couldn't help thinking about how the other Amazons would flip out if they could see her now. Ves would take an instant dislike to Tendo and probably challenge him there in the terrace. Cere would look down her nose at him and find a hundred flaws. Palla-Palla would probably be intimidated by his charm and his presence, as she was around more mature people. And she, and the others, might sense the dangerousness of this man, like Jun did.

Her impression of him wasn't that he was violent or sinister. But there was a barest hint of a predatory quality to him, a quality that, rather than repel her, interested her. It seems she was always attracted to the "bad boys". Quad had possessed that predatory quality, too.

Tendo was probably just out for a good time, seeking a way to charm her into bed. That was OK. If he was charming enough, she might agree.

"Oh!" Tendo exclaimed suddenly, bumping up against her. His weight nearly knocked her over, but Jun managed to keep her feet. His hands moved to steady herself, landing on her shoulder and her bottom. With some embarrassment, he quickly withdrew them when he'd regained his balance.

"Are you OK?" Jun asked.

"I tripped on the step," Tendo replied, a little shaken. Then he turned to her and smiled. "I guess I was too busy watching you to watch where I was going."

"Better be careful," Jun smiled. "You could get hurt that way."

"The reward is worth the risk," he volleyed back.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Jun saw a woman approaching, an instinct she had possessed in the jungle that never really went away. The woman was about her height, a little heavier, with long, silky jet black hair and fashionable, but low-cost clothing. Her face bore the demeanor of someone absolutely livid. There was no question that she was headed directly for them.

"What in the Hell do you think you're doing?" the woman screamed, violently shoving Tendo in the chest. The man stumbled back several steps and she kept pace. "Just who the Hell is this?"

"Mariko, it isn't what you think!" Tendo quickly alibied.

"You said you were on a sales call!" Mariko roared. "You said you had to work! That's why you couldn't come home and be with your wife and children!"

"Wife?" Jun gasped.

"I saw her at the restaurant!" Tendo told her quickly. "We're old acquaintances from the insurance game! We were catching up on old times!"

"Don't lie to me!" Mariko spat.

"Mariko, you've got the wrong idea!"

"How many times, Tendo?" Mariko demanded. "How many times are you going to do this to me?"

"Wait, you've done this before?" Jun goggled.

"SHUT UP!" Mariko snarled, whirling on Jun. "He'd be a more dedicated husband and father if it weren't for people like you running around, throwing yourselves at him! You probably led him on!"

"He came on to me!" Jun protested.

"Mariko, you're making a scene," Tendo said, grabbing for the woman's shoulders. But she violently shrugged him off.

"Get your hands off me!" Mariko fumed. "I've had it! My family was right about you! This is the end!"

"Mariko!" Tendo gasped.

"Look, I'm just going to let you two settle this . . ." Jun said. She began to back away.

"I'll settle this!" Mariko snapped. "I'll settle with you once and for all!"

And she pulled a dagger from the back of her skirt's waistband, its razor point aimed directly at Jun.

* * *

"Why isn't Ves-Ves studying her lessons!" Palla-Palla demanded - - loudly.

"Aw, get off me!" grumbled Ves as she searched the web for new vid-streams. "It's vacation break! Nobody studies during vacation break!"

"Jun-Jun did!" Palla-Palla shot back, her jaw jutting out.

"Well, Jun was a little goody two-shoes," Ves returned.

The silence caught Ves by surprise. Turning, she saw the look of deep hurt and shock on Palla-Palla's face, making her feel like a lower form of life in that uncanny way Palla-Palla had.

"You know what I mean," Ves muttered, looking away. "Jun don't know how to have fun anymore. The only reason she went out with me and the Princess last month was because of that band we were going to see. She's afraid to do anything exciting."

"Jun-Jun knows Ves-Ves thinks that way," Palla-Palla said thinly. It caused Ves to look at her again. "Jun-Jun doesn't like people thinking of her as scared and no fun. That's why Jun-Jun went away."

"You reading her mind again?" Ves asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Palla-Palla couldn't help it," the teen alibied. "Jun-Jun's thoughts were in her head before she could close it. Jun-Jun thinks people don't perspect her."

"Perspect? What the Hell does that mean?" Ves frowned. "You mean respect? I respect Jun!" She thought a moment. "Although I got to admit she was more fun before we all met Nehelenia. She was more free and easy. She wasn't afraid of messing up and getting all the straights mad at her."

"Ves-Ves doesn't care if the straights are mad at her," Palla-Palla nodded. "That's why Cere-Cere calls Ves-Ves an animal."

"Priss," muttered Ves.

"Ves-Ves, why is it wrong?" Palla-Palla asked.

"Why is what wrong?"

"Caring about whether the straights are mad at her," Palla-Palla asked innocently. "And who are the straights?"

"People who follow the rules and let other people shove them around," Ves replied. "They're not going to care what you do. They're going to look down on you no matter what. So that's why I don't care. And Jun shouldn't either." Ves sighed in frustration. "But she does. Which, I guess, is her choice to make. But she lets it run her life for her. That's the part that's wrong. You got to be you, and to Hell what other people think." Ves grew introspective. "Did Jun really take off because I thought she was hiding who she was?"

Palla-Palla nodded gravely.

"Damn," mumbled Ves. "I didn't hurt her, did I?"

"Palla-Palla's not sure."

"Man, I'm so dumb sometimes," Ves shook her head. "Maybe I ought to call her. You think?"

"Yes, Ves-Ves, you should call her," Palla-Palla nodded. "And then you should tell her you love her and you're very, very sorry."

"Hey, let's not go too far."

"And then you should study, so you won't be so dumb," Palla-Palla added.

"Kid, school can only do so much," Ves replied.

* * *

"Lady, put that thing away!" Jun barked, getting into the defensive crouch Makoto-Sensei had drilled into her head when she first started at the palace. "He isn't worth this!"

"I'll cut your face open so you can't seduce anyone else's husband!" Mariko hissed. Tendo looked on in horror.

The two combatants just faced off for several seconds. Jun wondered if Mariko was waiting for her to attack or flee. Finally Mariko lunged with the dagger. It was a wild lunge and easily evaded. If this was an example of her technique, Mariko was clearly an amateur at this. But an amateur armed with a dagger was still dangerous. Jun could tell that she was preparing to slash at her. Her hand went out and her henshin stick appeared.

"Juno Planet Power Make Up!" she called out.

To Mariko's amazement, and Tendo's, and the small crowd that had gathered to watch, Jun transformed before their eyes into Sailor Juno. Gasps of recognition went up through the crowd, for the Senshi of the fabled Princess Usagi were known throughout Japan. As the transformation took hold, Mariko and Tendo both continued to stare at this unexpected turn of events.

"Aqua Initiation!" Sailor Juno proclaimed.

Drawing water out of the air, Juno formed a ball of water about the size of a shot put. Then, using her utter control of the element, she fired it directly at Mariko. Before the woman could react, the dagger was knocked out of her hand. It spun into the air and landed on a decorative lawn about twenty feet away.

Immediately Mariko turned and ran for her life. Rather than satisfaction, Juno felt relief that the confrontation was over and no one had been physically hurt. Then she noticed Tendo was running, too, as if he were afraid she would turn on him next. It was an absurd notion, though for a moment she felt like it. As she watched him flee, a thought occurred to her: something had been hurt - - his marriage, in all probability.

"Serves him right," Juno muttered.

"Excuse me," came a male voice behind her. Juno turned and found a CDP officer standing there. "You're a Senshi with the Palace, aren't you?"

"Sailor Juno," she nodded.

"What's the situation here?" he inquired.

Juno sighed in disgust. "Just a date gone wrong," she replied.

After giving her statement to the CDP officer, Jun went back inside the inn. Bypassing the restaurant and the other amenities, the teen headed up to her room. While the bed had been nice, the scene at the restaurant had left a bad taste in her mouth. And it was after nine. Since she'd altered her destination from "somewhere over the horizon" to Minami-Satsuma, she was suddenly anxious to go. If she wanted to get to Shizuoka before dark, she had to get going. Camping out had reminded her of the old days in the Amazon, but the bed at the inn had reminded her of the creature comforts of the Crystal Palace and she had to concede she had become a domesticated animal.

"Besides, I don't want to run across anymore 'guardians of the wild' again," Jun chuckled to herself.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, Jun headed down to the desk to check out. The desk had an automated check in/check out terminal, for which Jun was grateful. Dressed as she was, she was leery of the suspicious looks she always seemed to inspire in the Japanese.

"Greetings," the terminal said in perfectly modulated, soothing Japanese. "How may I assist you?"

"Checking out," Jun answered and pressed her right index finger to the terminal. The terminal scanned her finger.

"Junelle Batista, room 121," the terminal reported. "Is this correct?"

"Yes." Jun had used her birth name reluctantly because she hadn't wanted to be recognized as a Crystal Tokyo senshi.

"Did you enjoy your stay, Batista-San?"

"Yes, it was very nice."

"Would you like us to message you about future specials or festivals?"

"No," she sighed.

"As you wish. Your total charge is ninety-six Crystal Credits. Please insert your transaction card in the slot on your right or touch your PDA to the screen." Crystal Credits were the currency for Japan and roughly eighty percent of the world, while people used electronic transfers or laser-encoded debit cards rather than paper currency in the thirtieth century.

Jun reached for her card. Her hand fished into the pocket on the back of her hiking shorts. It wasn't there. Her hand touched the bottom of the pocket and found it empty. Concerned, Jun tried her other pockets, both in her shorts and her shirt, but could find no trace of the card. Kneeling, she pulled off her backpack and began frantically searching through it.

"OK, Jun, keep calm," she told herself. The terminal in front of her blinked patiently. "You used it at breakfast to pay for your meal. Then you stuck it in your back pocket. Right, I remember doing that." She checked her back pocket again, on the slim hope that she had missed it. "Where is it? Did I lose it?"

"Ma'am?" a human representative of the inn approached and said. "Is there a problem?"

"My transaction card!" Jun exclaimed. "I think I lost it!"

And once more she got one of those suspicious looks, the ones she always detested.

Continued in Chapter 9


	9. Lessons In Humanity

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 9: "Lessons In Humanity"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

"I see Yutaka was here," Usa said as she strolled into Hotaru's hospital room.

"Did you see him in the hall?" Hotaru asked, happy to see her friend.

"Yeah," Usa replied. Then she smirked devilishly. "Besides, you're still wearing that dopey grin you get every time you're around him."

Hotaru flushed and averted her eyes. "It's not dopey," she mumbled.

"So how are you coming? I'd look at your chart, but I can barely understand it." She scowled. "Besides, Aunt Ami locked me out of her computer system."

"I was wondering how long that was going to take," Hotaru grinned. "Healing is progressing at the anticipated pace. I should be up and rehabbing in a few days. Maybe I can actually stay out of here for a while." She glanced up at Usa. "So, are you going to try to beat Mizuno-Sensei's lockout?"

"If I get time," Usa shrugged. Then she grew a very competitive expression. "It should be quite the challenge."

Right then her PDA sounded. Usa picked it up and looked at the display while Hotaru looked on curiously.

"Hey, it's Jun," she remarked, engaging the communications app. "Hi, Jun! Where are you now?" Usa engaged the speaker so Hotaru could listen.

"I'm in Koshu," Jun replied. There was a pause. "Usa, I really hate to ask you this - - but I'm at an inn and I lost my transaction card somehow and I can't access my account with my PDA for some reason and I've got no credits to pay for the bill and . . ."

"How'd you lose your transaction card?" Usa gasped. "And what are you doing in an inn? I thought you were roughing it."

"It's a long story," Jun sighed. "And I don't know how I lost it! But I'm in a spot! Like I said, I really hate . . ."

"Don't sweat it, Jun," Usa assured her. "I'm transmitting the funds now. It should be on your PDA in a second."

"Yeah, I got it," Jun exclaimed. "Thank you, Usa - - AGAIN! And I WILL make this up to you!"

"Not necessary. Just come back in one piece."

"Don't worry. I am going STRAIGHT to Minami-Satsuma from here!"

"Oooh, Minami-Satsuma," gasped Usa. "I've got to go there some day!" She sprouted a saucy expression. "With Helios."

"And one other thing: don't tell the others, please?" Jun requested.

"I won't say a word," Usa assured her.

"That's assuming we can keep it from Palla-Palla," Hotaru chimed in.

"Hotaru? Usa, am I on speaker? AAAAAAH!" Jun cried.

"Your secret is safe with us, Jun," Usa giggled an assurance.

"Great," huffed Jun. "First PKE class, Palla-Palla will know and she'll tell everybody! I'll probably see it on Nippon This Morning!"

"Sorry," Hotaru offered.

"It's OK," Jun sighed. "I got to go. I want to pay the inn off and then get going. Maybe I can set a speed record to Minami-Satsuma."

"Don't get reckless," Usa warned. "Hope we see you soon, Jun." She disconnected, then looked at Hotaru. "And you thought you had problems."

Hotaru smirked a reply.

* * *

Jun disconnected and looked up to find the inn manager. He was standing by the auto check-in kiosk. Standing next to him was a CDP officer. It was the same CDP officer who had taken her report on the earlier incident.

"You called CDP on me?" howled Jun.

"I thought it was a prudent course of action," the manager sniffed.

"Man," Jun huffed. She punched a spot on her PDA, then touched the device to the auto check-in terminal.

"Thank you," the machine replied. A receipt transmitted to her PDA. "We hope you enjoyed your stay. Please come again."

"Not very likely," muttered Jun. She scooped up her backpack and headed for the front door. The CDP officer moved to accompany her.

"Was there a problem?" the officer asked.

"Oh, I lost my transaction card! And there's some glitch on my PDA account link! It's saying 'insufficient funds', which is impossible!" Jun growled. "And naturally since I'm dressed this way, they think I'm some vagrant or something!" She continued to walk on. "Probably because I'm foreign, too!"

"Are you sure the card was lost?"

Jun stopped and looked curiously at the officer.

"We downloaded surveillance footage of the incident outside, as a routine matter of the investigation," he explained, "and facial recognition got a hit on the man."

"He's in the CDP system?" Jun gasped.

"Hiro Yamanaka," the officer replied. "He's got a record as a pickpocket and con artist. He's run this scam in several prefects around Japan where he picks out a young woman, often a tourist, and begins romancing her. He keeps that up until he manages to steal her transaction card or PDA, then signals his partner. The partner, a woman, confronts the victim claiming that Hiro is her husband. She makes some verbal or physical threats, enough to scare the victim away, then they disappear with the woman's card and empty it." He looked sympathetically at Jun. "I thought it sounded familiar."

"That . . ." Jun rumbled in outrage. "Any idea where they are now?"

"Not yet. Yamanaka is pretty good at disappearing when he senses CDP is on to him. And you turning into a Senshi in front of him," and the CDP officer chuckled, "well, he's still probably running." He noticed Jun didn't see the humor. "We'll track him down. And we'll contact you when we do to arrange testimony."

"Yeah. Here," and she touched her PDA to his, "you can reach me this way if I haven't made it back to the Palace yet. Anytime, day or night. I want to see this guy gets what's coming to him."

"Yes, ma'am," the officer nodded. "Hopefully you can enjoy the rest of your trip."

"I will," Jun replied, "the MOMENT I get out of Koshu!"

But as Jun traveled on her hover bike toward the southwest and the Koshu city limits, the entire incident began to gnaw at her. Given her confusion over whether her old, jungle-born personality was the real her or if it was the new, model-citizen personality she'd forced upon herself, the incident inspired questions within her. Would the old Jun have fallen for the deception as easily as the new Jun?

"Maybe not," Jun whispered to herself. "I was a lot more suspicious of people I didn't know back then. Living in the jungle makes a person suspicious of everything around her." The teen sped along the highway leading out of town. "Of course, I wasn't familiar with a lot of modern society back then, either. He could have put it over on me just as easily." She smiled ruefully. "Particularly given how nice he looked."

She rode on. But the incident still bothered her. In addition to the doubts it created in her about herself and her identity, it offended her sense of justice. After everything she'd gone through with Queen Nehelenia, the thought of being used again by someone irritated her. Besides, all of her credits were on that card. They were hers and she wanted them. And if the card was stolen, the thieves may have already transferred the balance electronically.

As she approached the edge of the city, Jun pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. A moment of indecision swept over her. She didn't really want to bother Usa again, particularly so soon after her last call. But Usa was probably the only one who could help her. Her PDA in her hand, Jun pulled up the connection. Her thumb lingered over the link. She grimaced. Then she pressed it.

"Jun?" Usa asked, then engaged the speaker feature again so Hotaru could listen in. "You didn't run into anymore trouble, did you?"

"Nothing like that," Jun responded. "I found out that my transaction card wasn't lost. It was stolen."

"Stolen?" gasped Usa. "Did you report it to CDP?"

"Yeah. Apparently I got scammed by two local con artists."

"How can I help?" Usa asked. "You need more credits?"

"No. But I want to get my old credits back. And I want to get these two before they pull this on someone else. The CDP officer said they'd conned other people like this."

"Sounds like a plan," Usa commented. "But I don't see where I come in."

"I want to back-trace the transaction card and try to locate them that way," Jun explained. Then she grew a wicked grin. "And I figured that the world's greatest pink-haired hacker could do just that."

"You figured right," Usa replied, growing the same wicked grin. "Just transmit your account file to me and watch my smoke."

"Done," Jun said as she pressed a link on her PDA. "How long do you think it will take, Usa?"

"Give me a few minutes to get to my work station," Usa answered. She bolted from the chair, then skidded to a stop at the door. "I'll be back later, Hotaru," she said, turning to the patient in the room. "This shouldn't take long."

"I understand, Usa," Hotaru nodded. Then she smirked devilishly. "Get him."

Usa nodded and was out the door.

Jun sat by the side of the road, waiting for Usa's return call. It seemed like an eternity, but in truth it was only four minutes. The PDA signaled and Jun hurriedly engaged it.

"Usa?" Jun asked.

"I'm in the system, Jun," Usa reported. "Entering your transaction file now." There was a moment's pause. "Yeah, they work fast! Your account is showing a zero balance! They sure didn't waste any time!"

"So I'm stuck?"

"For now. But I can back-trace the transfer to his account."

"And get my credits back?"

"Well," Usa groaned, "transferring them out of his account is 'technically' illegal. The courts are going to have to do it. But I can back-trace from his account to his transaction card or PDA, then home in on it through GPS link."

"How long will that take?" Jun groaned.

"Is now soon enough?" Usa grinned. "Transmitting his location to you now. I'm also transmitting this information to CDP. You got it, Jun?"

But Usa noticed that the connection had severed. For Jun was already on her way.

Hiro Yamanaka stood in line at a Koshu train ticket kiosk, waiting to purchase two tickets out of town. With the high-speed super-conductor rail system Japan had, he and his companion could be anywhere on the island in thirty minutes or less.

Which, given what he had just experienced, was a good thing. Hiro Yamanaka no longer found Koshu a healthy place to ply his trade.

"What's taking so long?" Yumi, his companion, grumbled. Hiro and Yumi were third in line at the kiosk where an automated teller dispensed train tickets and took fares. There were four such kiosks in the room and three were encountering heavy traffic, while the fourth was out of service.

"Just calm down," Hiro advised her. "The more agitated you look, the more attention you're going to attract. We're trying to keep a low profile. Don't worry, you'll like Niigata."

"I'll like anyplace that isn't here or Crystal Tokyo," Yumi said. "You think Niigata is safe?"

"We can head for Nagasaki if you want," Hiro replied as he moved up in line. "Although it's really hot in the summer there."

"It's going to be 'hot' anywhere we go," Yumi fussed. "You had to pick one of Princess Usagi's Senshi!"

"How was I to know?" grumbled Hiro. "It's not like it's stamped on her forehead. Everybody knows the Princess: Pink hair, red eyes, looks just like Queen Serenity. Her Senshi, not so much, except that they're foreigners. Except for Sailor Saturn." He glanced at her. "I don't go around studying the Senshi."

Their turn in line came. Hiro typed in his destination and put the transaction card in the designated slot.

"Thank you. One moment, please," the automated purchasing station said in a cloying, overly pleasant, perfectly modulated female voice. "I apologize. There seems to be a problem with your card. I cannot complete this transaction."

Experience told Hiro that CDP had contacted the central bank and put a hold on the card. He gave a quick signal to Yumi and the pair bolted past waiting customers in a mad dash for the door. Pushing aside a security guard at the entrance, the two criminals burst out the door of the train station and out into the surrounding landscaped front courtyard of the station.

Standing there waiting for them was Sailor Juno.

"Look," Hiro began, trying desperately to eradicate the fear in his voice, "this had all been a big misunderstanding."

"Aqua Initiation!" Juno bellowed angrily.

Water drew out of the ground around Hiro and Yumi. They tried to run, but each one was enveloped in a six foot tall globe of water. Desperately the two clawed at the bubbles, trying to claw their way free, as breathable air was replaced by unbreathable water. Their eyes bulged in horror as the specter of drowning stared them in the face. Each one looked at Sailor Juno, silently pleading for mercy.

At first Juno felt none. That was what the jungle had taught her. When confronted by something life-threatening, you either ran or you killed it before it could kill you. There was no mercy in the wild. That lesson had been hardened and reinforced in her by Queen Nehelenia. There was no mercy in the Dead Moon Circus.

And that thought was what jolted Juno and made her realize what she was doing. She wasn't in the jungle anymore. She wasn't in the Dead Moon Circus. She was a Senshi of Princess Usagi. Mercy was what Usa believed in most, so it was what she was supposed to believe in most. Maybe some might call her a goody two-shoes for it. But Usa would call her smart.

With a thought, Juno released the cohesion on the two bubbles. Shoved by gravity, the water flopped to the ground and with it the two humans who had been trapped inside. Each one gasped desperately for air. They were drenched, they were spitting up water and they were scared out of their minds, but they were alive.

The sound of a landing air car caused Juno to turn. A CDP air car had touched down just outside the perimeter of the station. As an awestruck crowd watched, two CDP officers emerged and approached Sailor Juno.

"We were contacted by Central that the suspects in a theft by fraud case were here," one of the officers told her. "Guess you saved us the trouble of apprehending them." He looked the pair over. "They put up much of a fight?"

"No," Jun replied and couldn't keep the disappointment out of her voice. "How soon will it be until I can get my transaction card back?"

"In a hurry?"

"Kind of."

"Well, give us a few minutes to retrieve the card from them and scan it in to evidence," the officer replied. "Then you can be on your way."

"As long as I get to Minami-Satsuma," Juno sighed. "Thanks for getting here so quick. You probably saved THEM some pain."

As the two criminals were put in restraints and hustled toward the air car, Juno heard Yumi hiss to Hiro, "You HAD to pick a Senshi!"

Exhaling, she headed to the car with the officer to retrieve her card.

 **Jun's Diary: 10 August, 2997, ten kilometers southwest of Koshu**

 _Making good time. I should be in Shimizu soon. Boy, it's hot!_

 _I can't believe how close I came to killing those two. And over a transaction card! Is that what I am?_

 _No. That's what I was. The fact that I didn't kill them proves that. Oh, but I wanted to hurt them. Still do. That's the scary part. I'm disappointed that I didn't hurt them._

As she traveled southwest near the Japanese coast, Jun spotted a cluster of buildings along the freeway. It was nothing more than a couple of restaurants and an electric charging station for older model hover cars that still ran on magnetic waves rather than superconductor tech. Linked to the charging station was a small convenience store. Part of Jun's mind wanted to keep going as she had a destination in mind and hopes of reaching Shimizu by nightfall. The spontaneous part of Jun's mind suddenly had a craving for potato chips and a fruit juice.

The other part won. Jun pulled into the station. Dismounting, she engaged the anti-theft device on the bike and sauntered into the store. Looking over the selection, disappointment began to wash over her. They didn't carry the brand of chips she loved, just some local off-brand. And they were all out of apple juice. And the prices were way more than she felt justified in paying. For a moment, Jun considered turning around and leaving. But her craving won out and Jun picked up a bag of the off-brand chips, berating herself for giving in the entire time. Eager to pay and leave, she went up to the payment terminal. It scanned her purchase and the light began flashing, indicating that it was ready to accept payment. Jun slid her transaction card in.

"I apologize," the terminal announced in a soft, modulated voice. "There seems to be a problem with your card. This transaction cannot be completed."

Jun looked down at the screen. As a matter of discretion, the terminal hadn't announced why the transaction couldn't be completed. The reason flashed on the screen: insufficient funds.

"Insufficient . . .?" Jun began, then came to a realization. "The bank hasn't transferred my credits back into my account yet!"

Back in Crystal Tokyo, Usa was discussing philosophy with Helios out on one of the south balconies. Helios had such a worldly view, due to his long life and his given task, that she found discussing and debating philosophical points with him incredibly stimulating. Almost as stimulating as kissing him. But their debate was interrupted by a signal from her PDA.

"Jun?" Usa asked, answering the call. "What happened now?"

"Usa, I am sooooooooooo sorry . . .!"

Continued in Chapter 10


	10. The Heights

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 10: "The Heights"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

 **Jun's Diary: 13 August, 2997, Kobe**

 _I am not going to bother the Princess again, no matter what comes up. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not._

* * *

"Why am I doing this again?"

Jun ascended the winding stairs that led up the side of Mount Rokko, amid dozens of other tourists. Though she kept her backpack slung over her shoulder, her hover bike was parked in the garage at the inn in Kobe proper where she had spent the night. She was still dressed in hiking shorts and boots, with a beige blouse tied at the midriff. A tram had taken her and the other tourists up the primary length, but only an ancient staircase led up to the observation platform built onto the mountain. The peak, 931 meters above the city, watched them from above as it had for generations.

"Oh yeah," Jun told herself as a pair of children ran ahead of her up the stairs. "I have to get pictures for Kino-Sensei." She felt obsessively at her pocket to make sure her PDA was still there. "At least it's cooler at this elevation."

The trip from Koshu had been uneventful, for which Jun had been grateful. Not running into con artists or forest guardians allowed her to enjoy the sights. The southeastern coast of Japan was very nice, despite the humidity. She enjoyed the sea air and she enjoyed the sights, even if Osaka had been a little bit of a jolt to someone who had only experienced Crystal Tokyo. Rather than regret it, though, Jun took it for what it was: a new experience and a new memory to file and draw upon.

"Fumiko! Hoji! Don't run!" she heard a woman call. Probably the mother of the two children racing up the stairs. Jun grew a melancholy smile. She wondered if the two kids knew how lucky they were that they had a mother who worried about them.

Probably not.

"Just a few more steps, Ladies and Gentlemen," the tour guide called back to them over her voice augmentation hardware. "We're almost there!"

Reaching the top step, the first thing Jun encountered was the two children waiting impatiently next to an automatic gate. Installed in the gate was an electronic admissions cashier. Sighing, Jun pulled out her transaction card and slid it into the slot.

"Thank you," the terminal responded with a soothing, perfectly modulated artificial voice. "Please enjoy the garden."

She passed through the gate. Once inside the Rokko Alpine Botanical Garden, Jun's breath caught. Before her was a lush garden of exotic plants and flowers, all planted on the side of Mount Rokko. It was a splendor of color and fragrance that rivaled the Queen's garden in the Crystal Palace.

"Oh, Kino-Sensei will love this!" Jun whispered with excitement as she brought her PDA up and began taking pictures. "This is so beautiful!"

As she snapped pictures, Jun passed through the rows between the plants. The deeper she got into the botanical garden, the more she became aware of a sensation growing in her mind. It was almost deja vu.

"The plants are different," Jun mused. "But the sensation kind of reminds me of when I was in the Amazon with Mi Padre. And it's not quite as humid. Boy, I'd forgotten what this felt like!"

The two kids raced past her, headed for the railing in the distance. Jun knelt down and immersed herself in the green.

"Cere would be in heaven here," Jun thought. "I bet she could name every plant. Hell, she'd probably be chatting them up!" The thought made her giggle. "I think I'll send her the pictures after I send them to Kino-Sensei."

After drifting through the botanical garden, Jun wandered over to the edge of the mount. An observation platform had been built near the garden. It was already crowded with tourists. Squeezing through, Jun got to the railing and looked out.

"Wow!" she gasped, absently giving voice to her thoughts. "You can see the entire port from here. Look at the ocean just stretch out to the horizon." She closed her eyes and just let her affinity with the water allow her mind to almost encompass the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. It was intimidating and at the same time exhilarating.

"It's really something," another tourist, an older man, about sixty, in a loud print shirt and khaki shorts, said. "This is my fourth time here. I always see something new."

"Has the city changed much?" Jun asked him.

"Kobe? Yes. It's not the place I remember. Maybe that's good for this generation, but I miss some of the old places."

"I guess," Jun nodded. "But there's one thing that's still the same: The Ocean. That horizon hasn't changed in a few million years. And hopefully it'll look the same a few million years from now."

"That's true," the old man nodded. "Fortunately, Rokko and its garden are still here. Thanks to Queen Serenity and her preserving places like this." He turned and looked at Jun. "If you don't mind my asking, what country are you from?"

"Colombia, originally," Jun replied. "But I'm living in Crystal Tokyo now."

"Have you seen the Queen?" he asked breathlessly.

"I work in the palace," Jun grinned.

"Lucky," he sighed. "I keep meaning to take the shuttle up to Crystal Tokyo, just to meet the Queen. But something always comes up."

"You need to do it," Jun told him. "Something's always going to come up. You need to decide that you're going to do it and do it. If you let life hold you back, you're never going to meet her."

"It's not that easy," he replied. "I have obligations - - responsibilities."

"So do I," Jun answered. "I let it hold me back for the longest time. Then I decided to do what I always wanted to do. And I'm glad I did. This trip has really renewed my zest for life."

"Maybe you're right," the old man mumbled. "I'm not getting any younger. Maybe I should take some time and do it."

Returning to the vista before her, Jun began snapping more pictures with her PDA. When the memory was full, she eased through the crowd and found a secluded spot, then sent a message to Makoto with the pictures included.

Jun was recording a message for Cere to go with the pictures when the air was pierced by a shrill scream. Looking up immediately, Jun saw the crowd begin to surge to the railing on the right. Excited cries emanated from the crowd, frantic and fearful. Sensing something was wrong, Jun tried to push through to the front. But the crowd was too dense and with her small stature, she couldn't make it.

"Well, you were an acrobat," Jun thought, noticing the railing on the left of the observation platform was deserted. Scurrying over, she ascended onto the railing and balanced herself on it, oblivious to the slope of the mountain that was an eight hundred meter drop. From that vantage point, she could see.

What she saw horrified her. The boy, one of the two children who had been running through the botanical garden, had fallen from the railing and was dangling five meters below the platform, clinging to a shrub which had grown out of the side of the mountain. The boy was terrified, and with justification. If his grip failed, he faced a very rough fall down the rugged side of the mountain.

* * *

In the shopping district of Crystal Tokyo, Makoto Kino and Minako Aino browsed the wares of a store. As they went, citizens would stop them and say "hello" or thank them for being who they were. While both were recognizable as elder Senshi, even in their civilian identities, Minako was more famous and, because of that, got more attention than Makoto did. The pair were in a store that sold toys for young children.

"What are we doing here again?" Minako asked after conversing with a fan.

"I don't know what you're doing," jabbed Makoto. "I'm shopping for a birthday present for my little Kimmie-Chan."

"Oh, yeah," Minako nodded absently, waving at another fan. "Which one is she again?"

"Ken and Yumi's daughter," Makoto sighed.

"And which one are Ken and Yumi?"

"Blondie. . ." Makoto sighed again, this time in annoyance.

"I'm sorry! I can't keep track!" howled Minako. "After all, about a third of Crystal Tokyo is related to you in some way!"

"And yet you can remember every one of your films down to the most insignificant detail," Makoto shot back.

"Well?" Minako asked incredulously.

"What would a six year old girl like?" Makoto mused.

"A six year old boy?"

"Blondie, if you're not going to help . . ."

"I am helping! That's what I'd want if I was six!"

"Well, you're addled," Makoto muttered. Further conversation was cut off by a signal from her PDA. Makoto pulled it out and engaged it. "Oh, it's a message from Jun!"

"She tired of the road yet and is going to come home?" Minako asked, peering over Makoto's right arm because Makoto was too tall to peer over her shoulder.

"No, it's pictures of a botanical garden!" Makoto gasped. "Her message says they're from Mt. Rokko in Kobe."

"I filmed there once," Minako replied. She looked at the pictures as Makoto scrolled through them. "Doesn't look like it's changed much."

"Oh, these are GORGEOUS!" exclaimed Makoto. "Oh, I wish I was there! She must be having the time of her life!"

"Good thing, too," Minako mused. "She needed a break from being 'perfect'."

"You noticed that?"

"Sure," Minako nodded. "Jun thought that if she was the perfect girl and the perfect student and the perfect citizen, people wouldn't remember what she'd done. Sort of like when you were her age and were afraid to be anything except the model of femininity." Minako put her arms out and screwed up her face in mimicry. "Me monster! No boy will ever love me!"

"I was a kid. What did I know," scowled Makoto.

"And given that I was the model of feminine beauty for a generation, you didn't have a chance anyway," Minako added with a grin.

"She said modestly," Makoto added wryly.

"She did nothing of the sort," Minako jabbed with a smirk. "I have been accused of many things, some of them even true. But I have never been accused of modesty."

"Somehow I can believe that," Makoto chuckled.

"Does it say where she's headed after Kobe?"

"No, but I remember Cere saying something about her wanting to visit Minami-Satsuma," Makoto related.

"Minami-Satsuma," Minako sighed. "I saw one of the most heavenly things there once."

"What was that?"

"His name was Kotaro and . . ."

"Sorry I asked."

"And he had the biggest . . ."

"Not interested."

"Motherhood took all the adventure out of you," grumbled Minako. Suddenly she pointed to a toy. "Hey, how about that for your great-twenty-times-granddaughter?"

Makoto looked. "Hey, that's nice! You do have good taste occasionally."

"I have good taste ALL the time."

"You forget," smirked Makoto. "I saw 'Bloodbath On Bikini Beach'."

"I will be haunted by that film forever," Minako sighed dramatically.

* * *

Ignoring the eight hundred meter drop below her, Jun raced along the railing with uncanny balance. When she spotted a rope used to tie down a canvas canopy, the teen stopped. Pushing off of the railing, Jun executed a double somersault over the anxious crowd and landed near the canopy. The gawking onlookers turned to her in time to see her pull the rope from its mooring and hastily fashion a crude harness around her shoulders.

"Out of the way!" she barked and then charged the crowd.

They parted in fear and confusion, giving Jun a clear path to the railing. Jun raced for it, leaped up onto the railing and then thrust herself out into space. Executing another double somersault, Jun nimbly landed on a jutting bush above and to the left of where the boy had been dangling. She took a moment to steady her balance on the bush, then looked down to where the boy was.

He wasn't there anymore. Fearing the worst, Jun readjusted her sight line to see if she could spot where he'd fallen.

Then she heard a sound. Looking up, Jun saw the boy being lifted up into the air by a CDP security drone. A harness was around his shoulders and the drone was carrying him over the railing. The moment the boy's feet touched the floor, his mother was on top of him, alternately hugging him and scolding him. The drone detached from him to the sound of cheers and applause from the onlookers.

Sighing with frustration, Jun used the rope attached to her to climb up the side of the mountain to the observation platform. She was five feet along when the CDP drone came up next to her.

"Remain stationary, please," the drone said as it hovered next to her. "This unit will assist you."

"Don't bother. I've got it," Jun muttered.

"It is a violation of Section 22. . ." the drone persisted.

"I've got it! Piss off!" snapped Jun.

Despite her protests, the drone followed her the entire climb. It only broke off when she was safely on the platform. As Jun freed herself from the canopy rope, she glanced over at the crowd. They were still buzzing about the dramatic rescue that the drone had accomplished.

"Well, at least he's OK," Jun mumbled.

Feeling a little tired from the spent adrenaline, Jun walked over and sat on a bench. After a few moments, someone sat down next to her. She glanced and saw it was the old man from earlier.

"That was a brave thing you did," he told her.

"And unnecessary, as it turned out," Jun sighed. "I should have figured the CDP had observer drones here, too. But I didn't think. I acted on impulse."

"Your first thought was to help. That says a lot about who you are," he maintained. "And the way you moved! I've never seen such skill!"

"I've had acrobat training," Jun shrugged. "I - - spent some time in a circus - - when I was younger."

"Someone your age? You've led an interesting life."

"It's," Jun mumbled, "not a very pleasant memory."

"And yet, something good ultimately came from it," he suggested. "We're all the summary of our experiences. Some of them are good, some are bad. How we use those experiences says what kind of person we are. Queen Serenity must be very proud to have you in her employ."

"Yeah," Jun said. "But that's her. She sees the best in everybody."

"I think she's right in your case," he told her. "And I'm going to tell her that when I go to see her next week."

"You're taking the shuttle to Crystal Tokyo?" Jun asked.

"Yes. I decided that I've put it off long enough. Perhaps I need to follow my impulses a little more - - like you." Jun looked down, embarrassed. "So what name should I mention when I tell her how brave you were?"

"You don't . . ."

"Someone else should know about what you did besides the two of us," he persisted.

She sighed. "Just say it was Jun. She'll know who it is."

* * *

 **Jun's Diary: 15 August, 2997, one kilometer northeast of Kumamoto**

 _Finally got to Kumamoto and the week's almost up. At this rate, I am never getting to Minami-Satsuma. But I've seen so many interesting things along the way that I guess it's OK I'm taking so long. Been thinking about what the old man in Kobe said. Wondering if it really applies to me. Considering what I almost did in Koshu, maybe it does._

Entering the outskirts of Kumamoto, the first thing Jun looked for was an inn. One of the things she hadn't considered when she started on her trip was the weather. Kumamoto in August was a lot hotter than Crystal Tokyo in August, and she'd always thought of Crystal Tokyo as uncomfortable in August. This was worse. Between the heat and the humidity, this reminded her of the Amazon rain forest, and not in a good way. And the Amazon rain forest had the benefit of trees for shade.

"Thirty-eight degrees*!"(*one hundred and one Fahrenheit) Jun thought, glancing at a LED display giving the temperature in Celsius, weather forecast and hover car traffic instructions. One of the down sides to riding a hover bike in this heat was the necessity of wearing a protective helmet and jacket in case the rider fell off. In heat such as this, the rider broiled inside the jacket. "I have to find an inn. I am cooking! Even my water deflection trick isn't enough!"

Pulling up at the LED sign, Jun leaned over, typed "directions to inn" into her PDA and then touched it to the sign. The sign instantly downloaded directions to it and Jun was off.

"Welcome to the Lotus Blossom Inn," the automated check-in terminal said when it sensed Jun's presence. Jun had her backpack over her shoulder, her helmet and jacket stuck under one arm and was soaking in the climate controlled interior wearing only boots, shorts and a tank top she'd borrowed from Ves. "How may I assist you?"

"Room for one, please," Jun sighed, adoring the way the cool air felt against her exposed skin. Her limp green hair dangled in her eyes, mussed by the helmet, and she felt as feminine as a latrine.

"Economy or luxury?"

"Economy," Jun said. "I'm just looking for a place to clean up and flop."

"Room 36 has an excellent view of . . ."

"Yeah, great," Jun nodded. "That'll work."

"Name?"

"Junelle Batista."

"Please insert your transaction card in the flashing slot," the terminal said. "You will not be billed for your room until you check out." Jun complied. "Thank you. Your transaction is complete." A key card popped out of a different slot. "Please enjoy your stay. Notify the desk if you have specific needs."

Jun took her key card and headed for the room. Once the door hissed shut behind her, she headed for the bathroom. Turning the water on, Jun sat on the toilet and pulled her boots off. She was about to strip when a wave of exhaustion swept over her. Laying her head against the wall, she told herself it was just for a moment to catch her breath.

Jun closed her eyes - - and fell asleep.

Continued in Chapter 11


	11. Kumamon Attacks

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 11: "Kumamon Attacks"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

A waitress approached the table where Jun sat. Jun was in the inn's dining area, looking at the menu displayed on an electronic computer screen. The woman caught her eye and she looked up with some surprise. Many restaurants had robotic food servers, but she was coming to find out that inns in Japan still employed human servers.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked crisply. She was no older than Jun, with short black hair and a kewpie doll cute face like a hundred Jun had seen on various ads. Her uniform was a stylized kimono altered to make it easier to carry food.

"Yeah," Jun said, shaking herself. "Guess I'm not used to human servers."

"We're pretty unique to inns," the woman smiled. "The inns feel it makes the guests feel more comfortable." She noticed Jun rubbing her neck. "All you all right?"

"Fell asleep in the bathroom," Jun replied reluctantly. "Got a stiff neck."

"I'm so sorry."

"OK, breakfast," Jun said, looking at the menu. "What is Basashi?"

"Oh, you have the dinner menu queued up," the server said and pressed a stud on the screen. The contents shifted to a different menu.

"Ah, that's more like it," Jun nodded. "What is Basashi, anyway? I've never heard of it. Maybe you can tell, but I'm not from Japan."

"Basashi is raw horse meat," the server replied matter-of-factly.

"R-raw . . .?" sputtered Jun.

"It's a traditional delicacy here in Kumamoto," the server replied. "Although it's not really something we have for breakfast."

"Raw horse meat," mumbled Jun in shock.

"I can get you some if you really want it," the server offered.

"Uh, I don't," Jun stammered, "think so. Nothing against your customs. How about I have the breakfast platter here."

"An excellent choice," the server said. She bowed and scampered off. Jun sat there for a moment. Then she pressed the stud on the menu and brought the dinner menu back.

"Raw horse meat," Jun thought. "And Cere used to make a face when I told her I ate ants back in the Amazon rain forest."

Once breakfast was done, Jun climbed aboard her bike and headed for the greatest thing Kumamoto was known for, even in the thirtieth century: Kumamoto Castle. By this time, though, the actual castle and its twentieth century replica had long since decayed and fallen down. What stood on the site was a carefully crafted replica of the feudal era fortress made of molded poly-tetrathane resin. The ornate wood portions looked and felt like real wood and the stone portions looked and felt like real stone, but it had lasted for two hundred and fifty years and was designed to last for two hundred more.

Jun looked up at it from street level. Her expression was less than enthusiastic.

"I don't know," Jun thought, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "I know this has some sort of historical significance to the Japanese, but to me it's just an old building. Maybe it's because I'm from Colombia."

"It's a wonderful looking castle, isn't it?"

Jun turned to the voice, prepared to politely disagree. However, the sight that greeted her wasn't what she expected. After all, who outside of someone from Kumamoto would expect to be next to a six foot black bear with large anime-style eyes and large red circles on its cheeks. So startled was Jun that she reared back, lost her balance and tumbled from her idling bike.

"Oh dear," the bear said, leaning in to extend a paw. "Please forgive me for startling you!"

"W-What the Hell are you?" Jun gasped, scrambling to her feet without assistance and keeping the bike between her and the bear.

"I'm Kumamon," the bear replied. It was then that Jun noticed the fixed stare of the eyes and the mechanical movements of the mouth. "I'm the official mascot of the city of Kumamoto."

"You're a robot!" Jun exclaimed. By now people passing by were glancing at them and smiling.

"I'm a roboticized tour guide," Kumamon told her. "I'm here to answer questions, give directions and recommendations, and extol the virtues of the city of Kumamoto."

"Are you programmed or are you remotely controlled?

"Remotely controlled," Kumamon explained. "I'm in an office in the municipal building, controlling this unit remotely. This is just one of two dozen Kumamon robots scattered through the city. We're here to assist tourists and citizens alike." The bear leaned in. "You kind of look like a tourist. May I be of assistance?"

"Maybe," Jun shrugged. "I'm passing through on my way to Minami-Satsuma and I thought I'd look around while I'm here. Is there some place exciting - - and climate controlled?" She gestured to Kumamoto Castle. "I'm afraid castles just aren't my thing. No offense."

"None taken," Kumamon replied. "There are holographic theaters throughout the city. I can give you directions. Or there are several dance venues, but they don't operate during the day. We have many fine restaurants. And there is also the Suizenji-Joju-En Garden by Surenji Temple."

"Hmm," Jun replied in a non-committal fashion. "How about I just cruise around the city until lunch. But thanks anyway."

"As you wish," Kumamon said and bowed to her. "Please enjoy your stay in Kumamoto. If you need assistance, please seek out one of the Kumamon throughout the city."

"Oh, I will," Jun nodded. She donned her helmet and engaged her bike. But thirty feet from the robot, Jun began to smile. The smile began a chuckle and the chuckle morphed into a laugh. By the time she reached the intersection, Jun was laughing so hard that she almost drove her bike into an information sign.

A half hour later, Jun pulled her bike to a curb, doffed her helmet and wiped her face with a cloth. It was another hot, humid day in Kumamoto and while the city was interesting just for its sheer difference from Crystal Tokyo, this was not the day for cruising in a helmet and protective jacket.

"I've got to find some shelter from this heat. So, holographic theater or restaurant?" Jun thought. "It's too early to eat lunch. May be too early for a holo." She pondered for a moment. Then she smiled. "I know just the place."

Spotting a Kumamon robot nearby, Jun waved it over. The black bear, which was kind of cute once one got used to it, started for her. But on the way, it was intercepted by several children roughly five years old and surrounded.

"Kumamon! Kumamon!" shouted one child.

"I'm your biggest fan, Kumamon!" another cried.

"Please let me kiss you, Kumamon!" squealed another.

As the children jumped and shouted, each one trying to occupy the bear's attention, the bear knelt down in the center. One of the girls instantly kissed him on the nose and hugged him.

"I'm so happy to know how much you love me," Kumamon replied in the same synthesized voice Jun had heard earlier. "I just love each and every one of you."

"Come home with me, Kumamon!" one of the boys shouted. "You can live in my room!"

"No, come home with me!" cried one of the girls.

"But all of Kumamoto is my home," the bear replied. "And I'm very happy here. But you all can visit me any time you want, as long as your parents say it's all right. Now I have to help that lady over there," and it pointed to Jun. "You all go back to your parents now. And remember to always be good."

There were groans and protests, but the kids let Kumamon pass and the robot made its way over to Jun. She was leaning on the handlebars of her bike, smiling.

"The kids sure love you," Jun remarked.

"Yes, they do," Kumamon replied. "Now how may I be of assistance to you?"

"I just need directions to the nearest library."

Five minutes later, Jun pulled up and parked her bike next to the Kumamoto municipal library. As she headed in, she could hear the voices of Ves and Cere in her head, groaning and chuckling about something she found entertaining that they thought was boring.

Didn't matter; books always reminded her of her childhood and her guardian. Books were the paths to adventure and romance that she couldn't or hadn't experienced in real life. Books had been her first friends.

Of course these days most books were recorded on flash drive crystals rather than paper. But they were still books. Jun entered the building, sighed happily as the climate controlled air hit her skin, and headed off to find the romance section. But on the way, she saw a display case. Heading over, she looked and gasped.

It was a book. An actual book, twentieth to twenty-first century vintage from the looks of it. Jun stared down at it, struggling to read the Japanese kanji that it was written in. After a few moments, she noticed an older lady was standing next to her.

"That's 'The Book of Five Rings' by Musashi Miyamoto," the woman said. Jun glanced at her and assumed she was a librarian. "He was from this area of Japan. That particular hardbound edition dates back to 2038. It's one of the last mass-produced hardbound copies printed in Japan before we converted to electronic tablet files."

"Wow," Jun said in awe. "I wish I could touch it."

"Probably not a good idea," the librarian smiled. "That case is climate controlled and has a chemical circulating that retards oxidation of the acids that were found in commercially produced paper at that time. It keeps the pages from turning to dust."

"Do you have any others?"

"A few," she replied. "If you really want to see a large collection of ancient books, go to the collection at Kumamoto Castle." She paused for a moment, but Jun didn't respond. "Was there something I could help you with?"

"Your romance section?" Jun asked, slightly chagrined. "I want to see if you have anything I haven't read."

At noon, Jun emerged from the municipal library, notes on some new romance novel titles on her PDA. She would have stayed all day, but it was time for lunch and the library didn't have a cafeteria or food stand. At once the humidity of the day hit her in the face like a slap. She groaned.

"Nearest restaurant," Jun muttered. "I don't care what they serve."

Astride her bike, Jun cruised the area looking for a restaurant that was climate controlled. The humidity was really bothering her; given her origins, that fact also bothered her. She began contemplating it, but her thoughts were interrupted. A Kumamon robot unexpectedly darted out into traffic. The hover car whose path it crossed slammed to a stop. Jun could see it wouldn't be able to stop in time.

But the robot wasn't struck, for it leaped onto the hood of the hover car at the last second. Crouching on the hood, it began slamming its fists down on the hood and windshield of the vehicle. Panic-stricken, the operator bailed out of the cab and onto the pavement. He looked back, only to have the robot bear stop hammering and look ominously at him. That was enough to send the man running.

Kumamon ignored the fleeing man. It leaped down onto the sidewalk, scattering several pedestrians. Grasping a metal waste receptacle in its hands, the robot ripped the receptacle out of its moorings and flung it through the front window of a flower shop.

"What the Hell is up with that robot?" Jun gasped.

Seeing it spot a female pedestrian and take off running after her as she fled in terror, Jun parked her bike. As she dismounted, she summoned her henshin stick.

"Juno Planet Power Make Up!"

Once transformed, Sailor Juno was off in pursuit of the berserk robot. Turning a corner, she found the robot had caught the fleeing woman and was kissing her.

"Back off, whatever you are!" Sailor Juno roared.

The Kumamon robot turned to Juno, allowing the woman to flee. It had the same glassy stare and fixed smile that the other robots possessed. But there was something about the way it was crouched and the way it stared at her that gave off ominous vibes. Juno decided not to take any chances.

"Aqua Initiation!" she called out. As water formed in her hands and took the shape of a large soccer ball-sized globe, several CDP security drones circled the scene, ordering both the robot and Juno to cease and directing pedestrians to safety.

Juno fired the water globe at the Kumamon robot. It dodged the attack and lunged toward her. But in this case, the humid air was an ally to Juno. The saturated air gave her ample ammunition to fight with. Another globe formed almost instantly and Juno launched it with all the force she could muster. The globe struck the robot square in the chest and the force knocked it on its back.

With the sirens of CDP hover cars echoing in the distance, the robot began to pull itself off of the sidewalk. The process may have been awkward for the robot, but it was relentless. Quickly Juno prepared a counter measure. As the robot bear regained its full height, Juno enveloped it in a water globe, much as she had the two con artists earlier in her trip. This time, though, there was no intent to drown. Juno sought to saturate the robot, flood its systems and hopefully short out its electronics. A CDP patrol hover car pulled up and two CDP officers barreled out.

"Are you Sailor Juno?" one of the officers gaped. "What are you doing in Kumamoto?"

"Bear hunting, apparently," Juno replied. "Any idea why this robot went berserk?"

"None. But we're glad you're here to help. How long will you be able to hold it in that water bubble?"

Suddenly the water globe was lit up with electricity sparking from the joints of the Kumamon robot. It shook and flailed helplessly within the globe, then went limp. Juno released the globe and the robot fell to the sidewalk, inert.

"Mommy!" they heard a child shriek and turned to her. "Mommy, they killed Kumamon! Mommy!"

It was a four-year-old girl with her mother, wide-eyed with shock. As the girl dissolved into hysterical tears, Juno and the officers looked at each other. How to explain this? As the mother tried to comfort her daughter, she glanced over at them with a venomous look.

Then, inspired by memories of all the times she'd had to deal with the childish behavior of Palla-Palla, Juno got an idea. She quietly told the officers to load the Kumamon robot into their car, then walked over to the child. The child looked up at her fearfully, but Juno knelt down in front of her with a reassuring smile.

"Why did you kill Kumamon?" the child wailed.

"We didn't kill Kumamon," Juno told her. "Kumamon is just sleeping. We had to put him to sleep because," and Juno thought quickly, "he was possessed - - by a demon. And the demon was making him do bad things, things Kumamon would never do."

"Are you going to wake him up?"

"Those CDP officers over there are taking Kumamon to a powerful priest," Juno explained. "And the priest will drive the demon away, and then Kumamon will wake up. You'll see him again. I promise."

"Really?"

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"Uh huh. You're Sailor Vesta."

Juno scowled momentarily. "Yeah, I'm - - Sailor Vesta. And Sailor Senshi don't lie, do they?" The child shook her head. "So don't worry. Kumamon's all right."

A hopeful smile sprouted on the young girl's face. And Sailor Juno felt like she'd just bested a twenty foot giant.

* * *

"Did they ever find out why the robot went berserk?"

Juno was talking to Cere from her room at the inn in Kumamoto. She lay in the soft bed, her hand cradling her PDA

"Some smart-ass twelve year old who wanted to prove how clever he was hacked into the robot's remote guidance control," Jun explained.

"Did the CDP arrest him?"

"Yeah. Back-hacked his wireless signal and came up with his address. Had him in restraints about an hour after it happened. Usa would have been proud."

"No doubt," Cere chuckled. "Good thing we don't have those things in Crystal Tokyo."

"Worried someone might hack them?"

"That, plus the thought of a six foot black bear with an anime face just makes me want to vomit. I can only take so much 'cutesy'." Cere paused, suddenly nervous. "So," she began, "when are you coming home?"

"I haven't even gotten to Minami-Satsuma yet!" howled Jun. "Don't tell me you miss me."

"OK, I won't tell you," Cere sniffed haughtily. Then she became serious. "Jun, I've been told that I made you feel uncomfortable about who you are. If I did, it wasn't intentional. Sometimes I don't think. And," and she paused to gather herself, "if I did do that, I'm sorry. And Ves is sorry, too, though you'll never hear her admit it."

"Kind of figured," Jun smiled. "Apology accepted. I probably do things that hurt your feelings, too. If I did, it's not intentional."

"Good. Now can you come home?" Cere whined. "Palla-Palla asks me that about once an hour and if I have to listen to the question one more time, I'm going to strangle her!"

"Sorry. Not yet," Jun offered. "But tell her it'll be soon."

Jun glanced over at the dresser. Sitting on the dresser was a Kumamon doll that she'd purchased in the inn's gift shop.

"And tell her I'll have a present for her."

Concluded in Chapter 12


	12. A Multi-faceted Gem

ROAD TRIP  
Chapter 12: "A Multi-faceted Gem"  
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic

By Bill K.

* * *

Queen Serenity entered the palace gym as silently as she could. She was only visiting the area to see how Hotaru was doing. Her daughter had informed her during her morning flight out the door to be with her friends that Hotaru had finished rehabilitation of her Achilles tendon surgery and was beginning fitness training with Haruka. The Queen stopped by to lend Hotaru moral support, but at the same time didn't want to intrude on whatever she and Haruka might be working on. As usual, Luna trailed behind the Queen to make sure she stayed on schedule and aware of her appointments.

"How do you feel?" Haruka asked as Hotaru ran on the circular track at the perimeter of the gym. Haruka wore baby blue warm-ups, while Hotaru was dressed in running shorts, shoes and a white tank top.

"I'm doing OK, Papa," Hotaru replied breathlessly. The girl was coated in perspiration and was hardly setting a world pace around the track. Nonetheless, Serenity was happy to see her up and around after her long trial in the infirmary.

"Your monitor says otherwise," Haruka said sternly. "Come to a stop, slowly." Hotaru slowed to a jog. Haruka intercepted her when she neared the woman. "I know your thighs and calves are burning, so I'm not even going to ask. One thirty second stretch for each leg, then go get some fluids."

"Yes, Papa," Hotaru sighed.

"Hey, Dumpling! Come to see the next track star of the 3000 Olympics?" Haruka exclaimed.

"Papa," fussed Hotaru as she stretched.

"I just wanted to stop by and see if you needed any encouragement," Serenity smiled sweetly. "But it looks like you're doing just fine on your own."

"Yeah, motivation she's got," Haruka nodded. "Common sense, not always."

"Papa!" Hotaru scowled.

"Haruka, be nice," Serenity scolded playfully. "I hope this results in you never having to be in the infirmary again." She sighed. "Although I'm winded just watching you!"

"I hope so, too," Hotaru said. "Papa, I'm still on for Tai Chi with Usa, aren't I?"

"If you're up to it," Haruka replied. "But I imagine you're going to be pretty sore in a few hours. And in the meantime, no unusual activity. I mean that."

"Yes, Papa," sighed Hotaru. They she grew a wicked look. "I thought I'd go up and visit Yutaka between his classes."

"I don't want to hear it," Haruka shook her head.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Hotaru-Chan," Serenity smiled. "I'm certain it will be great for your heart."

"I saw what you did there, Your Majesty," Luna muttered. Haruka and Hotaru both smirked. "Let me remind you that you are scheduled for a meeting with the Crystal Tokyo Children's Council in five minutes."

"I remember," Serenity rolled her eyes. The pair turned to leave. "And DON'T call me Your Majesty!"

* * *

Jun stood on the peak of a cliff overlooking the blue water of the East China Sea. The air was hot and humid, but she was dressed in a daringly microscopic green bikini she'd swore when she saw it in the shop that she'd never have the nerve to wear, but bought it anyway. That allowed the wind blowing off the water from the west to cool her and cast her green hair to one side of her face.

She looked down from the precipice into the water and felt no fear. Normally this height would have concerned her, for she was fifty-five feet above the water. But the sea was below her and the water had always been her friend and ally, as far back as the time it cradled her as a child after the attack on the Batista compound and delivered her to her Quechuan guardian. As natives and tourists alike watched in awe from the beach areas near the cliff, Jun took a deep breath and then launched herself into the air. Gravity took over and guided her toward the water.

With the precision of experience, Jun knifed expertly into the water with the form of a champion diver. Rather than encounter an unyielding surface, Jun felt the water bow as she entered, bending and softening to accommodate her entry and cradling her like a loving mother. She reached down into the water as far as her momentum could carry her, then spun around and kicked to the surface. Jun bobbed up to the surface, then allowed herself to roll onto her back and just float, enjoying the warm caress of the currents around her small, slim body.

"Young Miss!" a man cried frantically from the beach. "Are you all right?"

"I'm wonderful!" Jun called back.

The reply of those watching from the beach was to applaud her dive. It struck Jun as funny and she laughed spontaneously. For all of her trials, on her trip, in Crystal Tokyo, in Elysian, in the past or in Brasilia, at that moment she felt centered and alive and in her proper place.

Reluctant to leave, but sensing her body was tiring, Jun floated to shore and trudged up onto the beach. Whispers and pointed fingers followed her, but she was indifferent to them. Before it would have bothered her, but the feel of the water was too fresh in her mind to be spoiled. Walking up toward the resort that rested nestled at the base of the peak and the head of the beach, Jun spotted a familiar face. The woman smiled and waved her over and Jun accepted the invitation.

"What are you doing here, Aino-Sensei?" Jun asked. Minako was sitting under an umbrella, propped up on a beach chair, wearing a white bikini that was even more daring than the one Jun had on. She also, Jun thought ruefully, had a lot more to display. "Checking up on me?"

"Actually, I hadn't been to Minami-Satsuma in about a hundred years or so," Minako smiled, peeking up at her behind dark glasses, "and I remembered what a wonderful place it was to pick up guys, so I thought I'd treat myself." She pulled down the glasses long enough to wink at Jun. "Checking up on you was just an added bonus. So, find out who you really are yet?"

Jun chuckled. Same old Aino-Sensei; she didn't seem to give a damn about what other people thought. If only her mentor could teach her that trick. The teen flopped down on the edge of the towel, Minako scooting over to accommodate her.

"I don't know," Jun sighed. "I don't know if I'm Junelle or Jun or Jun-Jun or what. Which one is the real me?"

"Why not all of them?" Minako asked, then sipped on a drink that looked decidedly fruity. "A director once told me that a good actor is able to be a good actor because every character he plays is another facet of his personality. He's just exposing that facet." She grinned. "It made some sense, and not just because he was ten kinds of sexy. Maybe all the people you've been in your life are just different facets of you."

"That doesn't say much for me, considering one of them was potentially a mass murderer and another one is the child of one," Jun huffed.

"Not every side of my sparkling personality is desirable, either," Minako answered. "At least that's what Artemis keeps telling me and he's known me the longest. We've all got a dark side. You just have to accept that and keep it under control."

"That's always been the problem," Jun mused. "Everyone is always afraid I'm going to revert to that dark side." She snorted. "Mostly me."

"That's because you don't have any confidence in yourself," Minako observed. "And because of that, other people don't, either. Now me, I've got a ton of confidence - - but there are times - - don't spread this around - - usually at an audition when I didn't have a lot of confidence."

"What did you do to get through it?"

"Force of will," Minako shrugged. "Fear of failure. My goal was to be a star and nothing was going to get in the way of that - - not even me. It - - may - - have turned a few people off, but the only thing that was going to make me happy was succeeding. So I went full bore and didn't worry about what other people thought." She paused a moment to think. "I guess what I'm trying to say is as long as what you do to be happy doesn't hurt yourself or hurt other people, it shouldn't matter what other people think. Nehelenia's little hired thug Jun-Jun is gone. Stop worrying about her."

"I guess," Jun sighed.

"Look at Usa," Minako continued. "She still feels guilty about Black Lady, but she doesn't let it stop her from being her. Same with Hotaru; I'm sure Mistress Nine haunts her back in the back corners of her mind. Doesn't stop her from being who she is. You just have to decide that you have the will to stop yourself before you do something really bad. And because of that, you are allowed to have fun."

"I have fun," Jun bristled, then sagged. "No, I don't. That was one of the reasons why I took this trip. I wanted to have a little adventure like the old days. I wanted to show everyone, and myself, that I could be a little spontaneous and impulsive."

"Works for me," Minako shrugged. "And you didn't try to take over the world once."

"Well, I almost did," Jun said, recalling the two thieves she'd attacked in Koshu. "But I was able to stop myself before I really did something bad again."

"Not surprised," Minako replied. "Everyone's always had more faith in you than you've had in yourself, Jun." She glanced at the girl. "Ready to come home yet, or do you still need more time? Because I know I'd sure prefer this to school."

Jun bit her lip. "You suppose everyone would mind if I was a week late for start of term?"

"There you go again, worrying about what other people think," Minako smirked. "I'll fix it for you. Serenity and Endymion don't stand a chance against my superior logic. And I don't think they'll flunk you if you miss a week."

Suddenly Minako froze. She stared off into the distance, everything around her completely forgotten. Concerned, Jun began looking around, fearing some new danger.

"Aino-Sensei, what is it?" Jun asked.

"My hottie-detector just went off," Minako whispered, still staring. "Oh my goodness, will you look at him!"

Jun searched using Minako's line of sight. Finally she came to rest on a tanned, chiseled, black-haired youth of twenty, a surf board under his arm.

"Oh, he is nice," Jun whispered back.

"I saw him first!" Minako proclaimed and sprang up from her seat. "You can have the towel - - and the umbrella. Don't wait up."

And off she went, others on the beach struck by her famous face, her fabulous body or her predatory pace as she closed in on the unsuspecting surfer. Jun giggled, shook her head, then got up and headed back to the water.

 **Jun's Diary: 22 August, 2997: on the road between Koshu and Chichibu**

 _It was a nice trip. I even got to see Nagasaki and some of the other southern cities on my trip. As for discovering who I am, I'm not quite certain about that. But I know what I'm not. And it's about time I got back. I wouldn't want to get anymore distress calls from Cere complaining about Palla-Palla hounding her._

A hover bike glided through the miracle of superconductor technology along a paved ribbon through the forests of south central Japan, southwest of the city of Chichibu. Astride the bike was a teen girl with green hair, hiking boots and shorts, and an artificial denim jacket over a nylon tank top. The road was deserted, save for the lone bike and its lone passenger. The day was late, but there was still time to reach Chichibu and a comfortable inn.

The humidity of the day had influenced Jun's decision to stay at an inn. Her old Quechuan guardian might disapprove, but a climate controlled room was a blessing she was loathe to do without.

As she sped along on her bike, Jun recognized the patch of forest she was approaching. Slowing down, the girl looked into the forest, wondering if she would be there. But she only saw trees.

"Probably out crusading against some thoughtless camper," Jun thought. She noticed a feeling of disappointment welling in her and fought to ignore it.

And then there she was, standing on a boulder by the edge of the forest that ended at the foot of a hill: Rika the self-appointed Guardian of the Forest. And she was waving. Jun guided her bike over and parked, leaving enough space between them so as not to spook the woman.

"Still migrating?" Rika asked. She seemed happy to see Jun. "You didn't find anything to your liking down south?"

"Oh, I found a lot to my liking down south," Jun replied, pulling her helmet off. "But I have responsibilities back in Crystal Tokyo and I have to fulfill them."

"You seem happier," Rika commented. "Did you resolve the dilemma that was troubling you?"

"Maybe. I hope so." Jun grinned self-consciously. "I'm probably still going to be a compulsive rule-follower, but I decided to let a little more of my wild side peek out. I guess I do deserve to have a little fun."

"That sounds wise," Rika said. "If you're looking for a place to sleep, I know a very comfortable tree."

Jun giggled. "No, I'm going to book a room at an inn in Chichibu."

"Oh, still domesticated I see," Rika sighed.

"What can I say? I have to be me. Sleeping outdoors in the elements doesn't bother me, but if I've got a choice, I'm going to choose a soft bed and climate control." They looked silently at each other for a moment. "What about you? Still guarding the forest?"

"I was chosen," she responded.

"Have you ever thought," Jun began carefully, "that maybe everyone else was right? That it is all in your mind? That maybe the mental health professionals could help you - - and you don't have to live like this?"

"No."

"Rika . . ."

"I have to be me," she said gently but confidently. Jun's shoulders sagged.

"I guess I've got no business arguing with that," Jun grinned shyly. Suddenly inspired, she reached around and pulled some containers out of her backpack. "Since the inn's got a restaurant, I won't be needing these. Why don't you take them. They're food containers."

"The gods provide me with everything I need," Rika responded. "All I have to do is find it."

"Well," Jun replied, "how do you know the gods didn't tell me to give this to you?"

Rika thought about that.

"Very well. I accept," Rika nodded. Jun tossed her the containers. "But it's a bad habit to feed wild animals. They can become dependent upon you."

"Lesson learned," Jun nodded with a smile. "Take care of the forest. And take care of yourself, Rika."

"And you continue to be happy with who you are," Rika answered. "Don't let them make you do anything you don't want to do. And remember that the wild is always waiting for you if you should decide to come back."

Jun saluted her with a smile. Donning her helmet, she engaged the thrust on her hover bike and sped off to Chichibu and from there to Crystal Tokyo.

Conclusion


End file.
